In The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond we are told about the disappearance of Emma, a six-year-old girl who apparently vanishes into thin air at a San Francisco beach that she visits with her father's fiancee, Abby, one day. The story then goes on to tell the story of Abby's search for the young girl. One that absorbs her life wholly. This is where the story sours for me.
The beginning of the book truly is absorbing. The suspense is thrilling. Where could Emma have gone? How can a child just disappear without a trace? But as the reader continues, the story simply goes stale. The search seems almost futile, and when even the father gives up looking for his little girl, you can't help but wonder "When is it going to end?" I can understand that Richmond may simply be trying to give the reader a glimpse at the despair that a family goes through when a child goes missing, but I simply felt as though the story just dragged. I honestly considered just flipping forward a few pages and skim through to the end to find out what exactly happened to Emma. Alas, I am cursed to be somewhat of a book purist, and was determined to finish it in good faith, read completely!
The resolution to the story is more of a let down than the slow-moving plot line. I was definitely disappointed with how the story ended, especially after spending almost an entire Sunday afternoon to just get to this ending and finally figure out what happened to Emma.
All in all, an okay read. I kept with it, so there must have been something to keep me going - but it certainly wouldn't top my list of must-read, top recommendations.
No comments:
Post a Comment