Shallow

by M.J. Al Serkal

Chloe is a young girl trying to understand life, she finds herself in doubt, often thinking of many emotions that a child shouldn’t think of, going through many stages of feelings. Explore the story as it unfolds in a series of characters and situations where she finally finds the true meaning of being shallow, the day she is free.

40 pages, ebook

First published March 25, 2015

Reviews

[AsamiTheWitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful book that sheds light on a young girl's journey to understanding her emotions. I have particularly enjoyed the ending.

[alanood · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing style is not my favorite; there are many run-on sentences, and generally, there's a lot of editing to be done. The narrative didn't match the setting of the 40s. I don't really understand the reasoning behind the setting in terms of timing and location as it doesn't seem to have an impact on the plot itself. The plot is not revolutionary, but it is still interesting and sheds light on important issues. I like the idea of looking at grief from a child's perspective. A lot of the phrases were placed awkwardly; when certain events happen, the writing is cut short by some sort of explanation or quote on the moral of the story. I believe it is important to give the reader the benefit of the doubt that they can reach to conclusions themselves, instead of writing down the meanings straight-up. Overall, I think there's a lot of space for improvement but it's a good start for a debut novel.

[Adeeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shallow is a story about young Chloe and how she faces her struggles. Set during the Second World War, this coming of age novelette explores many different kinds of struggles.

I particularly enjoyed reading the story from Chloe's perspective and very much enjoyed her voice. There are many emotional aspects in this book. I think the struggles that Chloe goes through are due to war and loss, psychological, and anxiety related.

I really liked AlSerkal's writing style. I could symphathize with Chloe and could feel her pain. At times, the writing was poignant and emotional, depicting the pain Chloe went through in a very realistic way. I liked AlSerkal's use of metaphors; they were vivid and descriptive.

Finally, the ending was my favorite part of this book. It came out as a shock and it really touched me. I think it was a very interesting conclusion and I personally hope all the best for Chloe.

My only complaint about the book is that it could have been longer and we could have spent more time with the characters and they could have been a little more developed. Despite that, this novelette is a solid effort from AlSerkal.

I am very much interested to see what he brings out next, and I can't wait to read more books from Emirati authors.

[Fatima AlSuwaidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

if it’s not for the twist at the last chapter, i would’ve given this a lower rating and would’ve been disappointed but i am not! it’s a great read and only in the end do you understand everything.
being the first novelette for the author i must say its a good one and am looking forward for many more.

[Sultan Alawadhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great fast read to get you back into the mood of reading. Dark yet interesting and short. Loved it.

[Thoraya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs more description. And the character seems to have no personality, I couldn't understand her.

[R · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a strange book. The writing was okay. The plot was good. With a bit more work it could've been a lot better. Nice efforts though

[Asma AlKetbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good effort by Mohammed. The characters are well voiced, yet I felt I needed more. For example, the character description wasn't developed enough for me to imagine the entire scene very clearly. I'm an avid bookworm and I love to imagine everything in a scene from the little details to the big. Also, some conversations were stiff, especially between Chloe and her mother. The contradicting tone that the mother used was confusing. But, the ending of the book explained this contradiction.

Regardless, I enjoyed reading the short story and I'm looking forward to reading more from Mohammed in the future.

[MeeraReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story, I loved Chloe, I could even relate to her to some extent. In my case, I had a problem with the style of the writer, but I believe that's because this is the first time for me to read something written by an Emirati writer. I definitely would go back to reading it again. Looking forward to reading more of your work.