Started reading: June 8th 2017
Finished the book: June 9th 2017
Pages: 180
Genres: Crime, Fiction
Published: January 21st 2016
Source: Got a digital copy from the author
Goodreads score: Not enough reviews
My score:
When Lyle Villines learns his daughter has leukemia, he searches for a way to pay the huge medical bills that come with the condition. In desperation, he takes a well-paying, under-the-table job driving a delivery van. He doesn't know what the cargo is, but the pay is enough to make him ignore that for the sake of his child. Lyle questions his decision when he's hijacked on the interstate and left alive only so he can deliver a message to his employer. Turns out the load wasn't exactly legal. Nor was it insured, meaning he will have to pay for the loss by taking on a new job-cooking meth. Not only does it pay better, his boss says, it keeps him off the road. When Lyle objects, he's given a simple choice. He can either take the opportunity, or his family will suffer. Faced with no other option, the only thing to do is follow orders... and hope he can get out alive.
My thoughts
I didn't really had expectations when started this book. It felt like Breaking Bad pretty quickly. Lyle is a nice main character who can make you understand what he feels and why he makes certain choices. I found the story to be pretty predictable and the end felt rushed for me. I did read this story within a day, so it got me hooked and it was a nice, short read.
Pros
- Final sentence: The title of this book totally snapped in place with the final sentence. That was such a strong part of this book that left me fulfilled and pleased with this final sentence. I totally believe first sentences and last sentences can be pretty important for a book. This book finished with a great one!
- Fast paced: The story starts right away and keeps going at a nice fast pace. There is never a dull moment and it feels like Lyle is actually telling you about this time in his life. For me the book could even use more length, I'd love to read more, that's a good thing!
- Reflective character: Like I said above, Lyle can make you understand what he feels and why he makes certain choices. He is great at reflecting on his own behavior and other people's behavior. Sometimes he's maybe a bit naive and impulsive in the way he does things, but the strong thing is that he knows this about himself and is not afraid to say so.
Cons
- Spoken language: The story is written as a spoken language. It's like Lyle is talking; instead of nothing, it says "nothin". I get that this is probably the way Lyle pronounces his words and I totally understand that it should add to the story and maybe was a choice of the author, but it distracted me. Every time a word was written in spoken language I was thinking it over and I looked up different words on the Internet, because English is not my native language. So I kept wondering; "Is this how you spell this word?" And then I would look it up and got distracted.
- Rushed story: I felt this book could use more pages. At some point in the story it felt rushed. Things go so fast that you can't adapt to the new situation. The story was enjoyable and I'm sure that a couple of chapters extra would still make this a nice and quick read. I love the fast paced way the story is written, but at some point, after 50% things started to feel rushed.
- Abrupt ending: The book ends very abrupt for me. I don't want to spoil anything so I can't say too much, but the ending deserved more, except for the nice final sentence.
Overall
A nice crime story for fans of Breaking Bad. A great reflective and caring character. A fast paced story that will not be dull for a moment. And if you like crime, you should give this short story a try!
Memorable quotes from this book
"People are funny sometimes, and that includes me. Every now and then we do or don't do something and we can't explain it, not even to ourselves. But do it anyway."
Do you have a favorite sentence at the beginning or end from a book?
