I haven't written book reviews for a while. It's not that I haven't been reading. I have. I have read many, many books. Some were very good, some not so much. I believe that I write reviews because a book surprises me in some way. Mostly, I like to write positive reviews unless the book really offends me. This book by Elizabeth Flock surprised me; both because it was very good and because it isn't a book I would normally read.
This story starts quickly and proceeds just like you would expect it to. That is not a bad thing. This type of novel requires a bit of the expected so that you can grasp the subtleties of the story. Most of the story takes place in a mental institution. You may think it cliche and wonder what Ms. Flock would add to this tired genre. I have to admit, I did not think any other art form could present this place-setting better than the television show "House, M.D." in the opening show from last season as House goes through drug rehab. "Screaming" surprised me. Not only did I read it rather quickly, I was enthralled with this character that went through so much without taking time to see the road she was on.
I have to make a confession: I would never have read this book but for two reasons: Liz Flock is a Facebook friend of mine and Kindle's "sample" feature that lets you read the beginning of books to see if you'd like it. I read the sample and knew I had to read it. I had read other books written by Facebook friends and was very disappointed; I hadn't had the chance to sample the books before buying and I would never have done so if I had. I finished both those books because, after all, I feel I owed it to the Facebook friendship. However, neither were very good and I didn't write a review because I didn't feel the need to be mean. On the plus side, I don't have to have such worries here. I very much liked this book.
However, there is one thing that got to me about this book. Because the author is a Facebook friend (certainly not the same as just a friend), the story disturbed me some as it went deeper and deeper into Isabel Murphy's (the protagonist) mental dysfunctions and her self-discovery. Because of the realism of the writing and the descriptions of the issues Isabel deals with, I was struck by the concern that I was peeking, at least somewhat, into the life of the author. After all, we are told to write what we know and this author seemed to know this topic very well. Nevertheless, she conveyed it so well that I stopped worrying about that and started rooting for the character; which is, after all, what we're supposed to do.
Ms. Flock has three other novels and, from her status updates on Facebook, appears to be working on a fourth. I am sure that I will read her other works in hopes that I get to explore more literary territories with which I am unfamiliar and have been heretofore unwilling to delve into. I highly recommend this novel; it will, surprisingly enough, put a smile on your face.
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