Diallo is poor but gifted with the ability to tell great lies. After a bad afternoon with his friend Paul in which he nearly ends up in jail, the pair rely on fate to change their lives.
"Let's play it with a coin!" He says. "Flip a coin. Face: our...
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A review is a critical evaluation of a book or a play.
That's its definition, and I have lots of time on my hands to meditate about it. Mostly because I lost my jacket and I forgot to ask for the key from my mom earlier.
In the Wattpad world, a review could mean something completely different.
We have the worse kind. Starting with the "newbie" reviewer, who is obviously someone new to a book club and who would use a machine gun to rip a book with the sole intent to get noticed.
Then there is the revenge review, in which one could be overly nitpicking to the point of putting an extract from a dictionary just to shame another. This is done on purpose of course and in complete retaliation for a bad comment left.
Moving on, we have the jealousy review done by someone who can't stand somebody else's success, hence destroying their story for the only reason to mess with their brain.
At last there is the super star review; reading this one feels like watching a ten-minute-long unskippable ad for the reviewer's own book.
Nevertheless, the best way to know how your review will be is to check the reviewer's own works. Jane Toppan has none. This is someone who exposes herself as a professional editor working for the industry, yet no one has ever dared question her credentials.
My eyebrows draw together as I scroll down, and I feel the need to remove my glasses to go through Jane's long commentary. She is being unbiased, firm, and straightforward, but utterly heartless.
There is no kindness, support, or even a drop of help in her review, and that applies not only to Emilie's book but to others too.
Three of her loyal adepts will deal with any of her detractors. They would hold back at nothing, resorting to counterarguments on demand, humiliation, and even insults to pick up any fight. Once done, they would leave that outnumbered and defeated writer to bleed to death in the comment section, as if that martyr were now a crimson jewel in their queen's iron fist.
Moreover, I am surprised that Jane would always pick the popular books on Wattpad: the paid authors, those with a long list of accolades, and even without the author's consent. This almost feels like she is using their success to her own advantage.
The other most concerning part about Jane's review book, though, is that nearly all the books she talked about are now either deleted stories or deleted accounts.
If she gives herself the right to choose, I should have the equal chance to ask, so I challenge her, "Hi, my name is Diallo, and I have heard so many good things about your reviews, and I would really appreciate it if you could take some time to provide some feedback on my book."
Who am I kidding there? Why am I overly kind to her?
Hours will pass before a reply pops up, and mom has just come home too for my own sanity. She finds me asleep by the door of our tiny flat, using my phone as a pillow. She wakes me up and lets me in. She wasn't joking earlier; her fancy dress and make-up are no longer here, just her usual cleaner uniform.
We walk in, and this is when Jane answers. "I'm sorry, I no longer do reviews on request."
I should have just thanked her and moved on, but I have bad gut feelings about her, so I type back instead.
"I bet you're not even a real editor, and I'll find out who you truly are, and you'll be sorry to have hurt all those people."
And now, how am I going to do that?
This is the question that keeps me awake until 3 a.m., the time I wake up for work. It haunts my mind: would Wattpad care about someone like Jane Toppan? Will their head quarters do anything if I report her to them, and for what reasons? It's not like she broke any rules of misconduct, and yet I can't live with the idea of how those reviews could have hurt Emilie or anyone.
I'm not an hero, just a guy packing toothpaste on shelves. I'm really no one, just a worry for my mom, a number for Walmart, and a nobody to anybody, but there must be something I can do. I can't let this go on; it was Emilie yesterday, but what if tomorrow is another of my favorite authors? This is when I think Jane will win, and I can't let that happen.
I come out of the train station and I head to the convenience store, which is some blocks away from my home. It smells of fresh durian and exotic spices, and an old man standing behind the counter stares at me. Never have I felt so much pressure to buy something, and in this moment, I also find the solution to my problem.
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