Dirty Little Angels
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 1
What I found interesting when looking at the reviews quickly at Amazon, was that a few had compared it to To Kill a Mockingbird. It has been too long since I read the classic Harper Lee novel to make a comparison myself. The author himself had mentioned it being similar to The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. But I think they are rather different.
The one thing that DLA does is bring in a realistic look at the grimy world. As absurd as on might think things are in novels, you must remember that a lot of times truth is stranger then fiction. This book depicted a family that is falling apart, where members are in trouble on various levels, whether with others, or struggling to make ends meet, or the law itself. In a quick, but well produced story, Mr. Tusa tells a chilling tale of life in one of these troubled families. As much as you might cringe reading some of the things the characters do and go through, there are probably many that have gone through very similar circumstances.
The book is rather short. It's 170 pages, and the font was rather generous in size, as were the margins. But in many respects, this is a good thing. There are too many first time authors out there, especially in some genres (:::cough::: fantasy :::cough:::) that write these 600 page debuts. What is worse, they are only book one of a series. Its refreshing to see someone just tell a good, if dark and grimy, story, and leave it be. He described what he needed to, in well written prose, but didnt dwell. No see-my-writing-chops passages here. And the characters, for the short time they were there, had enough room to develop their own voice and personality. The story is first person from Hailey, and I personally would have liked to see deeper into her psyche. But given the length of the book, and what seemed to be the goal, her development was certainly good enough.
Even through the issues and many flaws of the characters, I found myself liking them. It comes back to the realism. Haileys brother Cyrus comes across as a thug. But given his desire and actions to take care of Hailey, you can see the conflict behind him. All the characters have that effect, even if some are annoying. Its part of their character and they play a significant role.
I think this is a very good start to what could be a very good career. I am looking forward to Mr. Tusas next novel.
The one thing that DLA does is bring in a realistic look at the grimy world. As absurd as on might think things are in novels, you must remember that a lot of times truth is stranger then fiction. This book depicted a family that is falling apart, where members are in trouble on various levels, whether with others, or struggling to make ends meet, or the law itself. In a quick, but well produced story, Mr. Tusa tells a chilling tale of life in one of these troubled families. As much as you might cringe reading some of the things the characters do and go through, there are probably many that have gone through very similar circumstances.
The book is rather short. It's 170 pages, and the font was rather generous in size, as were the margins. But in many respects, this is a good thing. There are too many first time authors out there, especially in some genres (:::cough::: fantasy :::cough:::) that write these 600 page debuts. What is worse, they are only book one of a series. Its refreshing to see someone just tell a good, if dark and grimy, story, and leave it be. He described what he needed to, in well written prose, but didnt dwell. No see-my-writing-chops passages here. And the characters, for the short time they were there, had enough room to develop their own voice and personality. The story is first person from Hailey, and I personally would have liked to see deeper into her psyche. But given the length of the book, and what seemed to be the goal, her development was certainly good enough.
Even through the issues and many flaws of the characters, I found myself liking them. It comes back to the realism. Haileys brother Cyrus comes across as a thug. But given his desire and actions to take care of Hailey, you can see the conflict behind him. All the characters have that effect, even if some are annoying. Its part of their character and they play a significant role.
I think this is a very good start to what could be a very good career. I am looking forward to Mr. Tusas next novel.
