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| Book Cover via Amazon.com |
Opinion
In the infinite wisdom of Kindle Unlimited, this Novella appeared in my recommendations. Thankfully KU is starting to grasp just how much I adore short stories and novellas; it sent me the perfect thing to read on a stormy Sunday afternoon. I saw this, and I found the cover interesting enough to pick it up on KU.
I was not expecting the fantastic story I got. First impressions of “Close to Home” were shock and horror about what the MC was going through initially.
Let’s go into a critique here, and that is the “Story Structure, Foundation and Presentation” portion of my scoring system. The main critique I have has to do with how the indenting and paragraph spacing is odd. It’s not bad per se, but the paragraphs are so indented that the paragraphs layer like something out of “Tetris” and it looks like a line lasagna when you look at the e-copy from afar. I’m not sure why this was the choice. It’s not so bad sometimes, because it does give the eyes some means to take a pause, but it looks bonkers on a 7-inch screen. I tried two font shifts to see if that made it better, and it didn’t exactly make any difference. Still, this is a new one, line lasagna, layered beautifully but oddly on the page.
Now for this part of the review, I’m going to go into what I loved about the story, and that is the incredible character development and exposition that added to the tension of the story. This layers well and it’s a fascinating story. As it unfolds the reader is given only what they need to know, and nothing more. Also, in that, it all comes together like some fantastic series of unforeseen circumstances that culminate in the ultimate climax.
Now, I want to especially say, that the best part of the story is the very end where not only the story ends, but the climax is at its peak and end. This book moves like a well-orchestrated roller coaster and flows so well with turns and splits. The reader is treated to a robust telling of pain, revenge, and anger, mixed with sorrow, regret, and macabre humor. I don’t know I would have done what the MC did, but I understand why the MC did what they did. I also understand why the end happened the way it did, and why that was necessary to the story.
Overall, this is an incredible novella, and I think everyone should take a look at it. It tells a whole and compelling tale, and it’s much well-layered storytelling in a well-layered word design. I think maybe that’s the point, but I’m not sure.
Score
With everything in mind, I’m giving “Close to Home” a 97/100, and I am putting this in the “Mrs. Y Recommends” pile because I know I will read this a few times. If you want a cliff edge thriller, pick this up on Kindle Unlimited.
