2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 1 book toward her goal of 285 books.
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2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Jill Elizabeth has read 5 books toward her goal of 265 books.
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Book Review: Subject 375 by Nikki Owen

subject375Subject 375 was an absolutely extraordinary story! I will admit, there were a few times in the beginning where I found the shifts in time/sequence to be distracting and difficult to follow – never to the point that I lost interest though, rather the opposite… I found the bizarre back-and-forth, the nothing-is-what-is-seems of it all, only piqued my interest. This is a phenomenal read. I’ve read about Asperger’s before, but never read OF it, if that makes any sense – this story was gorgeous in its treatment of the complexity of a brain that operates under its own set of strictures and guidelines… There are layers upon layers of story line here. Poor Maria Martinez has no idea what is happening to her, or why, and you as the reader often do not either – until, suddenly you do. Sort of. Maybe. Unless… If that sounds frustrating and unnecessarily confusing, just wait until you dig into the story – you’ll rapidly realize it’s exactly that frustrating and unnecessarily confusing nature of “reality” that makes the tale so immersive and engaging.

It opens with a murder. And prison. And also a visit to a therapist. But what, exactly, ties all those things together – and, more importantly, what underpins those connections – is left on the table for most of the book. This sounds like it might be irritating; it is, but not in a bad way – in a “oh merciful heavens, read FASTER!” kind of way. I am a fast reader; my eyes were flying over the pages as I tried to force my brain to comprehend the letters faster, quicker, better, simply so I could see what was going to happen next. This was one hell of a ride – my stomach was left on the floor more than once, but I couldn’t wait for each new twist and turn…

There’s a gorgeously convoluted tale here, comprised at times of fantastically simplistic yet intensely deep sentences. To read Maria’s brain is a truly amazing thing – her observations are startling in their unusual perspective, but beautifully crafted nevertheless. A few of my favorites:

“This came for you,” she says, her voice a bowl of plums, a swollen bunch of black grapes.

“No,” she says, her smile like a splinter on her face. I want to dig it out, throw it away.

When he finally sits, he feels less looming, more honey-like, natural. But honey is made by bees, and bees can sting.

Everyone appears to be wheeling suitcases of legal files, dragging them behind like clubbed seals.

There is power in Maria’s view of the world. Power granted her by an immensely talented author. Power that I hope continues to come pouring out in the remainder of the series. Amazon lists a second book (The Killing Files) with a 2016 date but no new purchasing information; I’m cautiously optimistic it means I won’t have long to wait for the next installment, because the ending was a doozy and left me with as many new questions as it did answers… There are paperback copies available used, which coincides with some internet research I found suggesting this is a rerelease. Regardless, if you enjoy your thriller with a more than healthy dose of the unusual, this one is for you!

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