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Review by Jessica (120707) Rating (7/10) Review
by Jessica Optimistic yet perhaps a little naïve, daughter of George and Jean Hall, Katie, is to marry her fiancé, Ray, for the second time against the advice of her parents. Everyone knows how Katie is, she changes her mind every week and re-marrying Ray only spells disaster to them. And it seems however unsure Katie feels about actually being in love with Ray, she's determined to grab her wedding dress and just do it. Is this a good idea, especially with Katie's son, Jacob, who is none too fond of Ray.
With all the fuss over Katie's wedding plans, her brother Jamie
(whose gay sexuality hasn't gone down well with his parents) is
going through a bad patch, as a result of Jamie's inability to
commit to his partner. Too many emotions are stored up because
Jamie just can't bear to get too close. Determined to stop the "spot of bother" on his leg, George downs a large tumbler of whisky with two codeines, raids the kitchen draw for some scissors, sharpens a carving knife just for "good measure" and makes sure that the trusty first-aid kit is close to hand. He then, somewhat foolishly, begins to administer DIY surgery. Mark tells this episode in a hilarious yet squeamish way that made my toes curl and my ribs hurt from laughing so much.
This is a very uncanny tale of a family struggling to make everything
appear normal. Personally, I found this wasn't an easy book to
get into. It took more then a few chapters before I finally managed
to follow the plot and familiarize myself with the characters.
Even then I found it hard to empathize with these people. However,
it is very realistic when we begin to see things through George's
eyes and witness his state of madness. Maybe the only two reasons
why I kept reading this was to find out what happened to George
and his "spot" and find out whether Katie would manage to marry
Ray or does it all end in tears? Definitely worth a read anyhow. |
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