Review of Schasm by Shari J. Ryan
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I love a good mind trip, but this one was off the charts on the bizarre-o-meter. It almost felt like a B movie gone bad with its sinister Walter Mittyesque quality. I would normally have abandoned a novel that left me as frustrated as Schasm, but I kept thinking—hoping—it would improve, that her situation and abilities would be clarified. However, I was just as confused when I finished as when I began. I realize the novel is, to a certain extent, supposed to be confusing with all the drifting Chloe does, but the lack of “rules” really got to me. I lost track of what drift she was experiencing, and by the end, she’s in a drift inside a drift with multiple versions of herself and other characters. For example, when Alex explains that time was supposed to “reset” itself, I wondered how he even knew that. He doesn’t explain, and she really doesn’t ask. Very frustrating.
I found some concepts completely out of character as well. When she discovers a mysterious box of letters in her closet (letters her mother hoped she would never find yet kept in Chloe’s closet?), she doesn’t immediately read them all. Why not? She wants answers, but she doesn’t read the letters? And she’s never questioned the fact that she hasn’t seen a photo album in her home? I work with teenagers every day. This seemed so off to me. Also, Alex doesn’t act like ANY teenage boy I’ve ever seen. I understand he drifts to all these time periods and places, but there’s no way he behaves as he does—crazy or not. I found the whole “I love you so much because I knew you as a child” attitude unbelievable, and I wanted some sort of normalcy in this whole ultra-strange novel.
The mother is an overdone villain worthy of a fairytale’s wicked queen. She was outrageously over-the-top. Her cruelty was boundless, slapping Chloe, feeding her burned turkey bacon (This was mentioned often and began to grate on my nerves.), and finally committing her. However, despite all her mistreatment, Chloe chooses at times to believe her? The relationship with the mother could have been its own novel. In fact, that’s one of the big problems with the book. I felt there were too many stories happening at once—the childhood love, the long-lost uncle, the mean mother, the crazy girl. Just too much!
The redeeming quality that kept this one from being a one-star rating was the “tripiness”. I liked some of the twists, but I just felt no stability, kind of like Chloe herself.
2 stars
I love a good mind trip, but this one was off the charts on the bizarre-o-meter. It almost felt like a B movie gone bad with its sinister Walter Mittyesque quality. I would normally have abandoned a novel that left me as frustrated as Schasm, but I kept thinking—hoping—it would improve, that her situation and abilities would be clarified. However, I was just as confused when I finished as when I began. I realize the novel is, to a certain extent, supposed to be confusing with all the drifting Chloe does, but the lack of “rules” really got to me. I lost track of what drift she was experiencing, and by the end, she’s in a drift inside a drift with multiple versions of herself and other characters. For example, when Alex explains that time was supposed to “reset” itself, I wondered how he even knew that. He doesn’t explain, and she really doesn’t ask. Very frustrating.
I found some concepts completely out of character as well. When she discovers a mysterious box of letters in her closet (letters her mother hoped she would never find yet kept in Chloe’s closet?), she doesn’t immediately read them all. Why not? She wants answers, but she doesn’t read the letters? And she’s never questioned the fact that she hasn’t seen a photo album in her home? I work with teenagers every day. This seemed so off to me. Also, Alex doesn’t act like ANY teenage boy I’ve ever seen. I understand he drifts to all these time periods and places, but there’s no way he behaves as he does—crazy or not. I found the whole “I love you so much because I knew you as a child” attitude unbelievable, and I wanted some sort of normalcy in this whole ultra-strange novel.
The mother is an overdone villain worthy of a fairytale’s wicked queen. She was outrageously over-the-top. Her cruelty was boundless, slapping Chloe, feeding her burned turkey bacon (This was mentioned often and began to grate on my nerves.), and finally committing her. However, despite all her mistreatment, Chloe chooses at times to believe her? The relationship with the mother could have been its own novel. In fact, that’s one of the big problems with the book. I felt there were too many stories happening at once—the childhood love, the long-lost uncle, the mean mother, the crazy girl. Just too much!
The redeeming quality that kept this one from being a one-star rating was the “tripiness”. I liked some of the twists, but I just felt no stability, kind of like Chloe herself.
2 stars
No comments have been added yet.
