LitPick Review
Out of This Place
In Emma Cameron’s new novel, Out of This Place, three troubled teenagers struggle to make sense of their lives and discover their future as they each start to pave their own path, each more different than the last. Luke is a straight-sailing star cricket player with a scholarship on his hands……and a certain girl on his heart who doesn’t feel the same. Bongo is a fly-by-night alcoholic who gets wasted to try and block out the only thing he has to live for--his crackpot mother, abusive father, his secret but unrequited love, and his little brother that Social Services has taken away. Casey, the girl that Luke and Bongo both wish for, is a caged daughter whose father shackles and controls her every move, only fueling the fire of her desire to be free. As the three battle their way through obstacles, hurts, and pain, will they succeed or fail in the ultimate test of life?
“Bongo starts using his own brand of comfort tea. I see it in his room in a plastic bag that pokes out from under his pillow.”
Opinion:
I was dissatisfied, disenchanted, and disillusioned with this book. It was in verse (like poetry), which I thought was going to make Cameron’s points more hard-hitting and direct. Most books to use this to their advantage, but in this one it just fell flat. Cameron did not seem to know when to break apart stanzas or fragment thoughts to really drive the point home. I believe she would have been much better off writing this book in sentence form—it would have forced her to add details and emotion in this book. All I felt was disconnect and indifference, no feeling at all. If you write poetry, you need to use the limited amount of words allowed and make them count—use commas instead of ands and substitute action verbs for passive verbs. The only character I could sometimes connect with was Bongo—because he was the only one who felt real. I do, however, see much potential in Cameron as an author. She knows what she’s doing—she just didn’t utilize her talent and skills to put together a high-quality book.
“Can’t say where I’m going, though I would if I knew. I’d take her with me if I could. All I can do is pull away from her crestfallen face. It’s no way to say goodbye.”
I would recommend this book for ages twelve and up, for some mature comments but not much profanity at all. This novel also portrays alcoholism, abuse, and drug use.
Each in their own personal abyss, can these three close-knit teenagers find a way to make their futures look somewhat brighter? Or will they all end up stuck in the rut in which many of us find ourselves? Out of This Place by Emma Cameron is the only way to find out!
