By Kaila T.
Recently I have read the book Splintering by Eireann Corrigan. This book is a mystery/fiction book that focuses how a break in by a crazed man affects one family. Throughout the book it bounces back between drugs, fear, faith, and coping. As the book starts off it's extremely confusing. I found myself often wondering what was going on and who exactly was talking, this was a turn off and almost made me out the book down. BUT, when I looked up who the characters were I got a better idea of what was going on and found myself able to follow along. After I had looked up and read the background I found myself getting more into what was going on. I know I was going to put the book down and find a new one but I am ultimately glad I did not do so. By the middle of the book I found myself unable to put it down and interested in what was going to happen next. Reading this book with the poem format may be strange for some but I definitely enjoyed how it was written, and how the writing was broken down.
Another thing I really enjoyed about the book was the overall impact of the break in. When a drug crazed man broke into Mimi's house it affected the family greatly. Mimi being the older sister who is recently single would have been alone if it wasn't for her families visit. The break in separated each family member and brought up personal Demons and things seem worse than ever. As the book goes on you see each character's personal growth and how they start to rebuild their life one struggle at a time. The personal growth between all the characters has a huge impact on you, and will definitely lighten your heart.
Overall I enjoyed the book and would most likely recommend it to others. The things I really enjoyed was how the writing was broke down into a poetic flow. This made the reading easy because the pages weren't bombarded with words. What I also really liked about the book was the skipping back and forth between characters. This let me feel closer to the characters and be able to look at things through their point of view. I find this as a huge writing strength because without character connection I wouldn't be able to finish a book. The narrator was split between the brother Jeremy and the younger sister Paulie. I was able to learn how Jeremy saw the family and what struggles Paulie was facing. Another thing that was very well done was the personal growth from a traumatic situation and personal struggles. The break it was unbearable at first but throughout time the family seems to pull things together and take a step in the right direction at the end. It was extremely touching and brought out emotions in the reader, which is a plus to me.
Although I enjoyed most of the book I did find myself at first almost putting the book down. The way the author writes is very confusing and without knowing who the characters are and who is talking it can be a tough read. I had to look up who each person was and who was talking so I could connect and follow the book better. Once I did that I was able to actually enjoy the book. Another thing I was not fond of was abrupt ending. I would of liked to see how the family reacted with the ending and the situations that led up to it. I was left with questions and I didn't like that. Overall I would recommend the book to some, but if you do not like a poetic form of writing and a switch between two characters I would not.
I enjoyed the book and was glad I picked up the book, but I don't think I would read any more books by this author. Eireann Corrigan seems like a great writer but I don't think her writing is for me. It was a easy read and was well put together for the most part but I would only recommend it to people who like a strange writing breakdown. It is written like a poem and the pages have short passages and it is very jumpy. This is nice for some but may not be ideal for others. Before reading the book I would make sure you know who the characters are and what exactly is going on. Another thing I would recommend is reading the first couple pages before purchasing or borrowing. You can find this book at the library in Nashua High School South, and a few of her other books are : You Remind Me Of You, and The Believing Game.
Splintering, by Eireann Corrigan, Push, April 1st 2005, 192 pages
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