The Death of Ink
By M.M John
For the love of Pete! The Death of Ink by M.M John is such a frustrating book to read; not because it was poorly written-because it wasn’t-but because the storyline went everywhere yet nowhere all at the same time. I didn’t even know that was possible. My frustration gauge has officially been blown up!!
Albeit a perfect example of sentence structure and lessons about the fiction writing process weaved into the book, the storyline was completely unfocused like a river with a million tributaries leading who knows where. Our two main characters are Paige and Devon, both fiction writers and journalists for the school paper. Although one focus of John’s tale is the development of their relationship with one another while Devon edits and helps her on a book she is writing to submit to a contest, there was a complete lack of resolution leaving you wondering what the heck the is going on.
I don’t want to say that The Death of Ink appears to lack focus or direction but it does. Along with their supporting cast of characters, Devon and Paige stumble upon a plethora of possible minor storylines they could partake in; yet none of them head anywhere. Ugh! And don’t even get me started on the fact that I often felt like I was reading an instructional “how to write fiction” book.
Although well written grammatically and in sentence structure, the images seemed canned and worn out. Instead of showing the reader how things appear, John tells the reader – things like worn jeans or blond curls. I felt there was truly a lack of stimulating imagery and that makes it quite the bore to read.
Another thing that annoyed me about this book was that there seems to be so much hot and cold with Paige and her relationships with the males in her life. From one minute to the next you can’t tell if you likes someone or doesn’t. On one page she is eager to flirt with Matthew and then ten pages later she comes across like she doesn’t even like him as a friend. I just don’t get this chick!!!
Ugh! Enough of that book! If you’re looking for a well-structured book then this one is for you. If you are a reader who wants a story that entertains or maybe has a storyline that doesn’t split off this way and that without any resolution then I suggest you choose a different book.
A. Fae
