#Review: The Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer by Demelza Carlton
4 stars for concept
2 stars for execution
At the
start of the book we are introduced to the two central characters: Caitlin
Lockyer and Nathan. The opening is successful as it draws the reader in due to
intrigue. The story is told from Nathan’s perspective and we see his reaction
to unfolding events and hear his inner thoughts. Nathan’s narration is
interspersed with separate chapters outlining Caitlin’s nightmares.
This is
where I feel problems creep in as the format begins to feel too repetitive. It could have benefited from interspersing with nuggets of Nathan’s backstory –
just enough to further beguile the reader.
The
further into the story you get the less this format grates as the reasons for
Caitlin’s trauma are gradually revealed. The suspense does however feel rather
forced. In a novel of this type there is always the need to create tension but
then there’s the danger of a writing trick being overplayed.
There
are also problems with character as the book progresses. Nathan’s voice becomes
irritating and Caitlin begins to behave in ways which I find unconvincing. The
ending of the book has not had the same attention to detail in the edit as the
first third obviously did.
Subsidiary
characters come and go in rapid succession. Some have clearly been fleshed
out in the writer’s mind and their purpose in the plot is clear while others
are left sadly hanging and then reintroduced later with gay abandon simply to
further the plot it would seem.
The final
feeling at close of reading was that the writer was thinking more about the series
to come than the book currently in play. This prevents the book from fulfilling its
true potential.
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