Thursday, May 27, 2010

Wasted by Nicola Morgan

First off, I must say that I don't usually do book reviews because after years of analysing literature for my BA, I'm now much too lazy to really write about other books too critically.

However, when I read Wasted by Nicola Morgan, I actually felt compelled to write about it. There's something so unique about the voice that it's almost hypnotic. It's been awhile since I've read something that drew me in quite like this.

Here's the blurb (from Amazon.co.uk):

Jack worships luck and decides his actions by the flip of a coin. No risk is too great if the coin demands it. Luck brings him Jess, a beautiful singer who will change his life. But Jack’s luck is running out, and soon the stakes are high. As chance and choice unravel, the risks of Jack’s game become terrifyingly clear. An evening of heady recklessness, and suddenly a life hangs in the balance, decided by the toss of a coin. In the end, it is the reader who must choose whether to spin that coin and determine: life or death.

The book moves between Jack and Jess, following them as their lives intersect and twist and turn depending on the flip of Jack's coin. It's a fascinating concept, but what really made this book interesting for me is the omniscient narrator who is so present it's almost like another character, watching and reporting on Jack and Jess' every move and thought. It's creepy and spellbinding at the same time. As the reader, you feel just as much under the control of this narrator as Jack and Jess.

I made the mistake one day of delving into this book before an afternoon nap that I really wanted to take. I never got the nap, but I did finish the book!

47 comments:

  1. Sounds very intriguing. I love the last line about the reader choosing 'whether to spin the coin and determine: life or death.' Does sound like the reader becomes a part of the plot. I'll have to check on this on. Thanks, great review.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  2. Thanks Mason. My reviews are nowhere near as good as yours; I think I need a lot of practice! But honestly, Nicola's book was so good I had to attempt to write something.

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  3. That is so true. It sucked me in completely and I had to stay up reading it.

    I agree with you - I felt just as much under the power of the narrator as Jess and Jack were.

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  4. Sounds like a great book! Thanks for suggesting it!

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  5. Another to add to an ever-growing reading list. Thanks for the rec!!

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  6. Ooh, sounds like a great read. Anothe to add to my TBR pile. :)

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  7. Thanks for the comments. It is a really fun read - Nicola is a great writer!

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  8. never heard of it -- sounds GREAT!

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  9. Is this available in the States yet?

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  10. Karen, I think it might be through The Book Depository website?

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  11. Thanks for the tip, sounds exactly what i want to read at the moment, a real page turner. (plus interested to see how the points of view are accomplished)

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  12. You are really good at book reviews because now I want to read this. I want to know what it feels like to be under the control of the narrator.

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  13. fabulous!! i'd never even heard of this! now it seems i must run to the bookstore! hehe!

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  14. Gosh, your posts get so many great comments. If you're not careful, publishers will start calling you a "key influencer" and they will start offering you champagne and things!!

    Seriously, I loved what you said about Wasted making you feel controlled by the narrator. That's exactly what I wanted to do and I don't usually achieve what I want. Oh, the POWER!

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  15. Sounds excellent and congrats to Nicola.
    A really good book involves you as a reader, good on her for achieving that, on my 'must read' list along with 'The Hating Game' of course.

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  16. Oooh... this dropped through my letterbox yesterday so now I want to read it even more - great review, Tally and thanks for the reassurance of a choice well made!

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  17. I really love book reviews, I'm glad you did this :)

    It sounds amazing, I'm going to have to track it down. Bummer about that missed nap! But books are better:

    And I gave you an award at my blog today :)

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  18. I loved this book too. Well worth a read.

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  19. haha. That sounds like a cool concept actually. And is this one of those books where it gives the reader a choice:

    If you want the coin to be heads turn to page 106, if you want it to be tails turn to page 205.

    ??? That would be BEAST! I haven't read one of those in forever!!!!!

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  20. Hi
    thanks for the review. This book is on my to read by the end of 2010 - I love my pile of books to read by the end of 2010!

    I look forward to this one though very much!

    take care
    x

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  21. Sounds intriguing. I like the whole idea of the coin toss going on throughout. An innovative twist, it seems. And I like your rating system, too ... nap or not :)

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  22. I love getting sucked into a good book.

    Flip of a coin? That's sounds a like a dangerous way to make decisions! The book sounds interesting.

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  23. I don't like doing critical or technical reviews either. If I liked a book, I'll let you know, but I don't want to tell you TOO much about why because I want you to discover it for yourself.

    Which reminds me. A friend of mine read a book after me once, and she pestered me CONSTANTLY to tell her what was going to happen, so I made something up. She got to the end and went back to reread it because she couldn't believe she missed the ending I'd made up. (I'm sooo mean...)

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  24. That sounds very chilling, and very intriguing. I will definitely need to check this out. Thanks for the review! :)

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  25. Wow, what a great review. The only thing I wish is that I could have seen the writers words in a section of text so I can see how spellbinding it is.

    CD

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  26. I love books like that! I'll add it to the list, thank you!

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  27. Sounds like a very interesting read, and I think I can see why you never got the nap, sounds like one you wouldn't be able to put down!!

    Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins was one of those books for me, I loved the voice and the story, I ended up not sleeping that evening and reading the book instead! Oops!!

    Happy Thursday Talli! Hope your day was wonderful :)

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  28. That is a great blurb. Now I want to go fiddle around with my query, darnitt!! Haha.

    Thanks for the book tip off and have a good one!

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  29. I haven't read any books lately with an omniscient narrator, so that alone intrigues me. Sounds like a great book, so I'll have to pick it up!

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  30. Great review, and yes, an absolutely fantastic book. I loved it, and I don't really read YA normally.

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  31. Yesssss I've been looking for a new book! Sounds PERFECT!

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  32. Quite a recommendation if you were compelled to keep reading.

    Will add it to my ever-growing TO READ list. Thanks for the review.

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  33. well now, that sounds interesting. Have you read The Book Thief - the narrator is Death - I loved it. Death was very tender though pragmatic...

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  34. Sounds like a really intense book! It's now on my wishlist :)

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  35. Sounds fascinating. The idea of an omniscient narrator makes me want to read it, just to see how the author handled that!

    Helen
    Straight From Hel

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  36. I've been wanting to read this book since Nicola first advertised it. It looks so good.

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  37. That does sound good! I haven't heard of this book before, but I'm adding it to my TBR pile now. Thanks for a great review.

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  38. Nicola has a great blog. Thanks for the heads-up on this book. Hopefully, it will make it to the States.

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  39. This sounds like quite an interesting book, I'll be sure to check it out some time.

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  40. Sounds just what I want to read at the moment! Will go and order it.

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  41. Ah, these are the best books, the ones that take us by the hair and drown us in the words. I will certaintly check this one out!

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  42. Wow, fantastic review! Even the title and cover are hooky.

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  43. Sounds very intriguing-the story and the tools the author used to draw you in.
    The concept slightly reminds me of the Goosebump series I read to my children. They could pick 4 different endings to the story.

    I have something for you over at my place.

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  44. This sounds very interesting! I'm going to add it to my list, thanks for mentioning it!

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  45. Lynn - by the way, lots of people (not Talli, though) make it sound as though the book has different paths that you can choose or that the reader is in some kind of control. No, I choose everything - there are no alternatives; we are all bound by what happens, as in life - until the end when the reader has to choose whether to spin a coin or not (that's the only choice!). It doesn't really give a choice of endings but illustrates the different results of a tiny chance happening going one way or another. So, not at all like those books you were reminded of. I'm not surprised you thought that, though, because so many people have wrongly said that the reader has choices during the book. Would I give away that control? Oh no!!

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  46. PS - but, as Mason suggests, yes, the reader does become part of the plot - as a character more than anything, I think..

    Jan - re the narrator in the Book Thief - yes, several people have mentioned that. I did read the Book Thief but never made the connection. I must go back and read it again, but I think there might be the similarity you suggest.

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  47. Hmmm...it all turns on a cat's whisker really! :-)

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