Review: Just Looking by Jianna Higgins

Book Review   Just Looking by Jianna HigginsGenre: Contemporary Short Story Reviewer: K.F. Breene

  Amazon * iTunes (FREE!!)

 **Finalist in the Kindle Best Indie Book Awards 2013** 
Back Jacket

The day has arrived when Alice can no longer live on her own. She forgets to take her meds, and she was caught feeding teabags to her cat. Her long suffering daughter delivers her to a retirement home, but getting her to stay will be a battle of wills.


- The breeze followed them inside until the automatic doors whooshed shut behind them. Corridors like hungry mouths headed in every direction.

Alice chewed on her bottom lip and planted her feet. She gulped. "This place is going to swallow me whole," she whispered.

Karen blew on her hands and smiled. "Oh good, it's much warmer inside. Well, this is lovely isn't it?"

"These cream walls are going to put me to sleep. Permanently. Is that what you want?" Alice wanted to have a tantrum on the floor, kick and scream like a toddler. But the floor looked uncomfortable and getting down there was just too hard. -


Ideal for anyone who wants a light read and can't be bothered with novels.
I bought this book because it was a finalist in the Amazon Indy Book Awards, looked cute, and was only a dollar. Last night I "cracked" open my iPad mini to give it a quick glance while waiting for Dr. Who to buffer. The first paragraph had me distracted immediately:

"I'm not getting out of the car, Karen. Take me home." Alice looked back at the red brick building engulfing the car's windscreen. She lowered her eyes and ran a finger across the paper-thin skin of her other hand. The spots looked like they belonged on a leopard. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a tiny bird flapping its wings.

This book is about a cranky old lady that is at an age where she can no longer take care of herself. Her daughter brings her to an "old folks home", intending to check her in for round-the-clock care. The extremely short story views this polarizing experience through the eyes of Alice, a woman who doesn't want to give in to being old, and doesn't want to give up her independence in her living arrangement.

I must say this book, however short, is well done. The writing and story flow smoothly, with fresh descriptions and life-like dialogue. You feel the despondency of the character, fearing to start this last chapter in her life in a foreign place. A sterilized, shared, unfamiliar place. With an immediately engrossing style, and a relatable main character, Alice, this book gives the reader an insight into what it must be like to uproot your whole world, and move it into a place such as what is awaiting the character.

Overlaying the depressing and lifelike undercurrent is a gloss of humor that I enjoyed. This woman may not have remembered what she had for breakfast, she may not be steady on her feet, and she may not be solely able to take care of herself, but damn it, she doesn't have to go quietly!  She responds to her sad and put-upon daughter with sass, refusing to be pandered to or pushed around. She tries to flee, only to be thwarted by her frail body. Every avenue of escape is pondered, and what goes wrong is as depressing as it is hilarious.

The questionable issues with this story were the, sometimes, kid-like dialogue and the surface-level feel of it all. While most of the dialogue was humorous, sometimes it was too kid-like for a woman of her age. I get the crankiness, but older woman wouldn't know some of the slang this author used. Didn't mean I didn't enjoy it, however. And being that the story was so short, it was only hinting at what it could be. It wasn't about much, and it didn't really delve into anything. If it was priced higher than a dollar, I'd be hard pressed to recommend it, because you don't get much bang for your buck, however enjoyable. Good thing it is now free :)

4 stars!