Constructive reviews (COMPLETED)

Review: Gallows Humour by @copyedit

Author: copyedit

CHAPTERS CONSIDERED FOR REVIEW: 1-18

The world has seen an apocalyptic event. Viruses (according to one of the chapters) wiped out the living populace all over. When it is easier to find corpses than the living, the status quo is implicitly dire. We are introduced to our protagonist True Gallows, a scavenger robbing a dead person's dentures, bartering it away for a faulty shoe and licorice, getting swindled by a vendor in the "after-market" - the seedy underbelly - not technically as this seems to be the only way scavengers and the down trodden can meet their livelihood. This sets the mood and tone the story is going for, way better than me trying to introduce it. In some ways, I am yet to wrap my head around this story as a whole. Parts of it had me invested, parts of it had me intrigued, while also managing to make feel puzzled and lost at some points. It was swinging for the fences and not everything landed. In spite of that, I'd like to appreciate how unique and original this version of dystopia feels, offering a reading experience unlike the books I've been able to sample in my limited Wattpad experience.

The book takes an anime-esque approach to the story-telling, dropping the reader right in the thick of things, not wasting time trying to set up how the world came into be. The reader is allowed to discover it as the story proceeds, while getting more familiar with the headspace and associated quirks of these unusual cast of characters, who aren't by any means conventionally likeable. The success of this story so far is that it is capable of swaying the allegiances of the reader to look past archetypes and find things to root for.

The best example for this would be the character of Ragdoll. Described to be a shadow dweller to whom hygiene might be an alien language, the character is shown as an annoyance to True. But the character, when given the required time and treatment, slowly grows on the reader despite all odds. When the backstory is succinctly conveyed, it leaves a mark despite it not being elaborate or eloquent, which suits the character of Ragdoll. I might have repeated this sentence in my other reviews, but the dynamic of Ragdoll and True transforms believably from an irritation into some kind of an allyship. 

The antagonists - The Red faction - introduced as people who have moral quandaries over scavenging and other niche forms of livelihood - are threatening and offer a challenge to the protagonist and keeping the stakes high. There is no room for complacency. The group transitions from sermons to bombing real quick, with a spy network infiltrating the after markets, hellbent on trying to bring down what they considered to be a stain on civilization. The way True navigates around and through this threat and True's experiences along the way - friends and foes alike - forms the crux of the story. Staying true to real life where words and actions of people count as constant hypocrisy, there seems to be something nefarious about the faction, even with their standards. This element of mystery gives the book the forward momentum it needs.

Some side characters make a mark, like the farmboy Linc, the giant and slow AllSaint, Vivaldia and her family to name a few. Action is raw and gritty, especially when Ragdoll is involved. Guns and shovel swingings should keep the reader occupied. While it is slow to start, it does pick up pace and smoothen out eventually. 

It was not an easy read. I've seen other Wattpad reviewers recommend an approach to switch the subject and object around, converting from passive voice to active voice even when it's written in past tense. I guess the author is following that. I usually don't. It could be that, but sentences were difficult to comprehend than it needed to be.  There were multiple instances where I had to stop, take a break and re-read to understand what's going on. Some of the action scenes appear in the spur of a moment, with no set up out of the blue making it difficult to follow. The quirky writing ("Shovel meets head meets floor" instead of "True landed a hit with their shovel making a huge impact") gets in the way more often that not. While I won't take away the novelty of it, I do not personally prefer it. 

One take away from this book to any author who's starting out in Wattpad, is to not be afraid to pen your vision, how outlandish it might be. There might be an audience waiting for it.

Thanks.