Book Review: Never Odd or Even by John Townsend

Never Odd or Even
John Townsend
Genre(s): Contemporary, Crime, Middle Grade
Published: September 1st 20142
Pages: 135
Rating: 1 star

“How Eliot solved the biggest mystery in the history of the world (nearly)”

I want to say that this book is unique, but I've already read (and disliked) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and An Abundance of Katherines. And I have to say, although I didn't like either that much, they were better than Never Odd or Even, which felt like a combination of the two.

I picked this up from my library purely because it was short and I wanted something light, quick, and easy to read. This ticked all of those boxes, but it failed to tick the most important: enjoyment.

The writing was choppy and didn't flow well, and I though Eliot sounded immature - even for a twelve year old. I understand that he was supposed to be on the autistic spectrum, but the writing style annoyed me. As did the huge font used, but that's nothing to do with the story.

As for the story, I found it to be rather far fetched and unbelievable, which I think was mainly due to the writing style. The characterisations didn't help it, either.

Overall, I'm just glad I borrowed this from the library and that it didn't take me long to read. I would not recommend it.