Friday, March 20, 2009

In Search of Adam, Caroline Smailes

I've just finished reading In Search of Adam, which explains my two day absense from blogging. The most suitable word I can think of to describe this story is 'intense'.

The story follows Jude from the day her mother commits suicide leaving her with a note. 'Jude, I have gone in search of Adam, I love you Baby.' Jude's tragic life is chronicled in the first person giving a graphic insight into the mind of a vulnerable and neglected child. There were moments I had to put the book down and escape because of the power of the writing about very gritty subject matter.

The style of the writing drew me further into the mind of a child, the need for patterns and repetition - something safe. The layout and patterns of the words on the page reflected this. The lack of speech punctuation was different, but the fact that I only noticed halfway through the book proves that it worked.

Although bleak, this is an important story - How many children , like Jude, have no one they can trust to protect them, and problems that spiral through the generations. I hoped for a happy ending right to the end.

Please link to Caroline's blog here.