Can You #ReadWithoutPrejudice?

Can You #ReadWithoutPrejudice?
Anonymous
Genre(s): Adult, Literary Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Published: October 1st 2016
Pages: 465
Rating: 4 stars

“There are two points in life when we are all equal: at the moment of birth and at the moment of death. It is how we live in between that defines us. 

Delicately balanced. 

Perfectly crafted. 

Beautifully written. 

We want you to immerse yourself in this dazzling novel, free from any preconceptions that a cover, title or author can bring. 

We ask you simply to #readwithoutprejudice.”

An advanced digital copy was provided by NetGalley. This is no way influenced my thoughts.

The main issue addressed in #readwithoutprejudice is apparent from the get-go – the cover and the quote are actually very big hints as well, but it’s not until you start reading that you get a feel for things.

Everything about this book – the author, the title, the synopsis – is shrouded in mystery. While it definitely works as a way to create interest and speculation, it’s disappointing that it had to be done – as no doubt a lot of people wouldn’t have picked this up and given it a chance had the plot been readily available. There isn’t much that can be said without ruining the entire thing, but the subject matter is very topical and relevant to our society. And it’s a shame that the issue is having to be addressed through fiction; it should be more than enough to hear about it in the news.

All that aside, the book itself was good. It was well written and all of the characters were very separate to each other with their own individual voices, but they all wove together to create a gripping story. It did take me a short while to warm up to things – the first couple of parts were very heavy with medical terminology and I wasn’t sure where things were going – but by the time I did I was invested. I was hooked on wanting to know what happened to our main character, Ruth, and whether everyone got what they deserved.

While I had no problem swapping between the different points of view, I did struggle slightly with the jumps in time within these perspectives. It wasn’t always clear when things were happening in relation to the main storyline, and there were times when the snap back to the present weren’t always completely clear. That being said, it didn’t have a big impact on my enjoyment.

The problems I did have with this story were all the professional terms used in regards to Ruth’s and Kennedy’s jobs, and the fact that it centred on children and birth. The terminology was an easy fix: I asked Google and my mother. The babies were harder to work around, but that’s just down to personal preference and my strong desire to never, ever, have kids. I’m sure if you don’t mind babies you’ll enjoy this a lot more than I did, because there were, admittedly, a few times when I just didn’t care.

Regardless of my likes and dislikes, there is no denying that #readwithoutprejudice is a fantastically written, hard-hitting, and – unfortunately – current read. Maybe it’ll act as an eye-opener to those who aren’t bothered by, or don’t see, the issues faced by minorities.