Book 43: Dawn

Book 43: Dawn

Kevin Brooks.
2009
Rating:
2.5

From BookistShortly after we meet 15-year-old Dawn, she states her agenda: And tomorrow I’m going to start killing God. It’s not often a young-adult protagonist is so openly hostile to religion, and it gives Brooks’ story enough edge to steer us through moments of floundering. Thankfully, Dawn’s ire at Christianity is given a satisfying origin: two years ago, her wayward father moved from drugs and alcohol to religious zealotry, and it was with that fervor that he committed an atrocity. Dawn has mostly blocked it out and now lives alone with her boozy mom and twin dachshunds, Jesus and Mary. Brooks uses a halting, repetitious, and sometimes poetic prose that shifts into self-interrogation when things get too intense: Q. And the gun? Did you keep the gun? A. Yes. It’s a simultaneously gruff and anxious approach that wonderfully depicts Dawn’s confusion when two bad girls begin to ply her with unsolicited vodka and cajole her with makeovers. Though rushed, the climax is undoubtedly dramatic and pulls together puzzle pieces many readers may not have even noticed. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus

What Do I Think?
Almost the same as Mr. Daniel Kraus above. The exposition took over 200 pages and the climate took about 20 pages. There was never really a resolution or end to the story. The exposition was excellent, but incredibly long. After about page 175, I started wondering when the plot was coming in. Q: What about the plot? When do we get a plot? A: Never.