Book Review: Unbalanced by Jason Parent
Title: Unbalanced
Author: Jason Parent
Release date: April 4th, 2022
The last two reads from Jason that I’ve read have been both really well done, but also completely different in totally different genres. ‘The Apocalypse Strain’ was straight up Sci-Fi Horror goodness and ‘Eight Cylinders’ was a rock ‘n rolling Cosmic Horror novella. Sure sure, both were ‘horror,’ at the end of the day, but they were so far removed from each other that it worked really well to showcase Parent’s versatility.
Which brings me to ‘Unbalanced,’ Parent’s newest and latest dark fiction piece. We go from Cosmic Horror chaos and Sci-Fi terror to a dark, gritty crime piece filled with confusing claustrophobic bits and a wholly unsettling environment.
When this was announced, I was so excited for it – which may sound weird as in the past I’ve discussed my difficulties with crime fiction/detective stories – but knowing Parent was firing on all (oh lord) cylinders (I’m so sorry for that), I knew he’d deliver.
What I liked: ‘Unbalanced’ starts off with an unsettling opening and rapidly progresses into a chaotic twisting and turning of events. Parent does a great job of keeping us guessing while also seemingly giving us everything we need on a silver platter (only to frequently slam the serving lid down).
The story focuses on two main characters, Detective Royo and Jaden Sanders. After, what appears to be, a random attempted home invasion at Sanders apartment, Royo begins to try and piece things together. It was interesting to see Sanders character bounce back and forth between with it and not with it and I’d suspect that maybe this was Parent’s toughest aspect to write.
The added developments really work to highlight the scattered plot that rolls along throughout the entire story. It’s a tough thing to really describe and stay spoiler free while also still saying – it’s one of the main reasons why you should dive into this novel.
What I didn’t like: Look, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I do struggle with crime fiction and especially the ‘years beaten down’ officer/detective trope. I did find Royo to be a fresh take on this, but there were still times when I groaned at some dialogue (not that it was bad, just expected), as there are always things you can expect to be said during interrogations etc.
Why you should buy this: Parent continues to show his versatility and his ability to craft truly memorable characters and plots. This one will stand out from the normal gritty-crime novels because of the way Parent attacks the characters and the intricately woven plotlines and themes that crisscross from page one until the very end.
Another outstanding release from Jason and one I hope you’ll all grab and immediately push to the top of your TBR.
5/5
