Book Notices | The One by John Marrs / The 24th Name, Part II by John Braddock / The Accident by Natalie Barelli

John Marrs, The One

Amazon   How would life be different if a simple DNA test could tell you the identity of your soulmate, the one you were biologically made to be with? In The One, John Marrs tells the stories of five different people who've been matched with their DNA mates, exploring some of the potential unexpected consequences of this scientific breakthrough. The stories are unconnected except that they all take place in the same universe. Marrs switches from one person's story to another with each chapter. This was a little jarring, as I had trouble remembering people's names, and it would take me a moment to get my bearings after each transition. That said, each of the stories was quite compelling. Indeed, on one occasion I was curious enough about how one character's story was going to continue that I skipped ahead to read her next chapter out of order. (Theoretically, you could read the whole book that way, as six novellas read one after the other. But I guess I wouldn't advise it.) This was an entertaining read, and the premise was intriguing.

John Braddock, The 24th Name, Part II

Amazon   This is a continuation of John Braddock's short book The 24th Name, which I read in March. (Here's my review.) I'm still entertained by the author's dissection of the decision making that precedes action. Once again, Braddock wraps two stories around one another, skipping between them in his narrative. I would recommend reading both parts of the story (and any that follow) one after the other, though, so that the details will remain in your mind. You don't have to, but it would help, as there isn't a lot of attention paid to catching the reader up on any details they may not remember.

Natalie Barelli, The Accident

Amazon   Eve happens to be in the right place at the right time when Kat's elderly mother starts choking on her lunch in her nursing home. A few pats on the back, and Eve is a hero, and Kat is in her debt. A friendship between the two quickly blossoms. Eve is just the greatest, and Kat is grateful enough to take Eve out to lunch, to offer her a  job, to give her a place to stay. Eve very quickly insinuates herself into Kat's life, and then she isn't so great anymore.  The first half of this book was pretty frustrating since I cottoned on to what Eve was up to long before Kat did and because Kat, for all her alleged intelligence, was pretty stupid and irritatingly weak. I wanted to slap some sense into her and jolt her out of her helplessness. But then things picked up at about the 60% mark, and the story actually got downright riveting toward the end. A fun read.