Plot: (Back of Book) You can't escape what's in your blood... All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind. She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice. Callie is worried about her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely, and speaks of past secrets. And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive… The mother and daughter embark on a dark, desert journey to the past in the hopes of redeeming their future.
My Review and Thoughts:
Sundial has amazing prose and visionary word play.
Very different, very emotionally deep. This book is a hard description to give, it's very complex, very different. I don't know how to explain it without giving too much of it away. It's one of those books that you're either going to love or you're going to hate, there's really no in between and yet that is where I am in reviewing this book.
I absolutely loved this book and it makes me wonder what reality the book was trying to give me. It's such a hard book to explain, there is moments of pure anticipation, pure adrenaline running in you as the reader turning the pages, but yet then there are moments you're confused and there becomes a lackluster moments of mundane trivial descriptions or ongoing situations with the characters yet that is it's ultimate appeal in creating something strange and new. This book bled originality.
The whole book comes together in odd ways. I know I'm not making any sense with this review but that is how hard it is to describe this novel. It deals with aspects of good and evil or the bad nature, the bad genes of a person. The nature versus nurture reality, the alterations of those genes changing someone or at least trying to change someone.
Catriona Ward has a deep and dark and complex way of creating her characters. She is amazing at creating personalities, bringing personalities off the page into living beings. Each of the characters in the story are hard, or impersonal. They are deep and dark, each of the characters have a somewhat bad nature to them and somewhat good nature to them, but all of them have their flaws.
Even though the book is so odd and different and is something that stands out above and beyond other certain books you can't help but want to turn the page or want to know what happens next to these deviant, somewhat twisted, somewhat disturbing, somewhat odd lost souls.
In the end the conclusion of the story unfolds and all answers are on the front of the line of the story and just when you think you know what is happening or going on, a twist, a turn, and 360 in alteration of plot sends you spiraling down into another complex reality that has not made itself known until the next page is turned.
A thick mystery with tight exploration of human ideas and what if realities. In the end I loved this book. It came together in an unfolding narrative through the characters inside the book. From Rob to Callie weaved together through the past and the present. The ending is flooring and down right perfect in my viewpoint because in the end what really is the outcome. Will the race to arrive conclude or will the characters be forced down another path, that is all for your imagination to create.
Ward gave a sweet little tale of a complex plot. A novel with so many twists and turns and realities I never saw coming. That is what makes this book so different. I had no knowledge of where this story was going and what in reality was happening. Ward gave a perfect trip of confusion with the unfolding plot. You the reader had no real idea of what was taking place and why it was taking place and what the ultimate conclusion was going to be.
Would I Return to it Again: I want to know. I want a part 2. I want to adventure with these characters again and its unfolding realities. This is a hard book to describe and to bring to the front of what reality is taking place. I think multiple readings might be needed to fully understand the plot and narrative.
Would I Recommend: That is a touchy reality. Like I say this is a hard book to explain. And its a hard book to recommend because your going to have to enter this book with total blank slate within the thought on how a book can unfold, because this book unfolds in odd spiraling ways that might not make sense to a lot of readers. But in my viewpoint I enjoyed it and really loved the final show down and even the shocking ending held me with a giddy little smile on my face.
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Four Final Words: Mind Numbing, Complex Narrative.