Jessica Lost Her Wobble by J. SchlenkerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book slowly drew me in more and more as my curiosity about Jessica grew, and her various life situations became revealed by the well-written prose from J. Schlenker. It is a book full of memories, romance, recriminations and hope. Jessica’s life throughout most of the book is focussed upon her attempts to come to terms with personal tragedies and disappointment by moving to live on an island. It is an island with a friendly community atmosphere that holds fond remembrances for Jessica about times spent there with her children when they were small. She is surprised to find herself making friends with Amy, a young woman of a similar age to her daughter, and to whom Jessica begins to open up tales of hidden pain and joy from her past. There is much more to Jessica Lost Her Wobble than this but I am loathe to reveal too much and spoil the intriguing plot. Suffice it to say that there are several interesting twists to the tale but, after what appeared to be a rather mundane end to the story, this reader was presented with such a surprising twist in the epilogue that I had to read that part again!
This meant that, despite finding much of the very detailed information rather too much and tedious at times, I was glad I persisted and read Ms Schlenker’s book to the end. It completely changed the perspective that I thought I had about the story and left me thinking about it for a while afterwards. Surely, this is one of the signs that indicate a tale well-told.
The characters are well-drawn but I found it difficult to sympathise with any of them; the dialogue was generally believable and I found myself wishing that there was more of the story told through the characters’ conversations rather than in the narrative. When events moved from the USA to England, or from the island to the mainland, I would have liked to learn more about actual place names. This is a novel that will appeal to anyone who likes to read about family sagas with plenty of typical events, surprising incidents, inner secrets and unusual outcomes – plus a shocking end.
I was given a copy of the book in return for an honest and objective review.
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