SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
When an estranged uncle comes into Nia's life, he effects the entire family. Everyone he meets adores him, but Gwyn feels something else is going on, and it involve the horse figurine he was given.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Nia is mostly the main character. She develops feelings for Evan that start as silly but eventually become illogical and dangerous. I found her hard to like at times.
Gwyn is more apart of this story than the last one. Nia has to rely on him and he impacts the story greatly.
Catrin is a teenager who is quite talented at music and loves the piano.
Evan is a mysterious, handsome ex-soldier. He seems to charm every one around him, or at least the women.
PACING
The pacing is slower because this is not an action story. Instead it revolves around one man, the charm he exudes, and the sycophants he attains along the way. Although some interesting information about Evan is eventually revealed, it doesn't feel very suspenseful.
CATRIN & EVAN-SPOILERS
Evan, Catrin's uncle spends a large portion of his time alone with her taking her out in his car. It's slightly strange because he is twice her age (as its pointed out). But Nia says that he is not really their uncle, so Catrin could marry him.
I found this rather unbelievable. Catrin is a kid (I can't recall how old she was or if it was even stated, but she was mostly likely between fifteen and seventeen) and Evan is clearly an adult. Twice her age would make him at least thirty. So its basically pedophilia.
Besides the fact that this subject in a childrens' book (even if its not explicit) which is kind of crazy, no one steps up to stop the relationship. Not even Catrin's mother who doesn't acknowledge this relationship until non-family members bring it up. And then she brushes off their concerns, not by denying anything untoward, but simply by making excuses.
NIA'S CRUSH
Nia spends the majority of the book defending Evan's actions to the point where she comes across as more than slightly stupid. How is pedophilia okay? Even when his actions get worse (when he becomes possessed by the spirit of the horse figure) she still refuses to admit that he may not be savable. The more stubborn she became the more I disliked her. Especially when her own brother suffered so greatly and she was still in denial.
NIA & GWYN
I thought it was an interesting dynamic. As Gwyn was the more knowledgeable of the two, and certainly the more logical one.
THE OTHER SISTER
There are little hints that the other sister is rather plain. She keeps trying to make herself seem pretty and eventually shares her angry feelings with her mother about being neglected and overlooked because of her pretty sister.
This is never resolved. I don't even know why it was there. She suffers abuse from Evan in one scene and no one even stands up for her. I felt more than annoyed at Nia's whole family.
GWYN'S MISTAKE-SPOILERS
Gwyn decides, kind of out of the blue to ask Nia's little brother to tail Evan. Considering that Gwyn is the only one who really sees the danger in that man, I was surprised. So when the outcome was tragic I couldn't help wondering why Gwyn had been so naive. He was portrayed as rather logical all throughout the story until then. But perhaps he just looked that way because everyone else was either dense or stupid.
CATRIN'S EX
There is a young man who Catrin previously dated. When something bad happens to a pet, he asks Catrin to come over because he is worried that it will die. Catrin brushes him off and comes across as a complete jerk. Where before I thought her naive now I thought her selfish too. When she seems upset about the fact that he has a new girlfriend I now added stupidity to her list of good qualities.
CLIMAX
Evan gets a gift from an ancestor. Evan appears to disappear and die and Nia blows up and Gwyn. But Evan finally returns and Nia is happy.
AFTER THE FACT
Evan is eventually saved, and the story ends with him returning and seeming happy. But I kept wondering, was he going to pretend the whole ordeal with Catrin never happened? Would he say he never liked her and it was all the soldier? Would he even remember what happened? Would everyone pretend the relationship had never happened? I assume Catrin would move on and get back with her old boyfriend but perhaps not.
CONCLUSION
The idea of a long ago soldier being entrapped and then freed, only to possess someone with a similar past was an interesting and original idea. I especially liked the idea that he planned to relive his past, like a ghost that cannot move on.
But there were some creepy subjects that were touched upon that I feel didn't belong in a childrens' book. In fact, if I read in in a YA novel I would still have qualms.
Also, Nia never seems to develop. She stays naive about the dangers and never has to face up to them, even when her own brother is involved. And most of the characters come across as unlikable, especially Catrin.
I give “The Chestnut Soldier” one and half stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment