That was…incredible. WHAT ARE WORDS?! HOW DO I DO WORDS?! It was marvellous. I went in with no idea what to expect (seeing the blurb is super vague) so the only things I vaguely assumed the book would contain are:
- An Alice…probably the main character?
- An upside-down house. (Well, that’s MY interpretation of the cover.)
- Phobias and obsessions? So basically the equivalent of Aunt Josephine from A Series of Unfortunate Events who was scared of everything.
Well, HA H AHA. I WAS WRONG ABOUT IT ALL.
- Alice is not the main character. Greg is writing the book.
- The house isn’t upside-down…ohhh, WELL. Okay, it is. The entire world is upside-down.
- It’s definitely and absolutely phobias and obsessions, but it’s also about delusions and schizophrenia. And also bullying and domestic abuse and secrets.
So let’s talk about Greg, yes?
He’s super quiet, to the point where he never. says. anything. This is partly because he’s always branded as “psycho” by the kids at school and horribly bullied. And it’s partly because he has a lisp and gets teased for it. And it’s also because he thinks out elaborate things to say…he just can’t get it out.
The family in this book isn’t a rosy pineapple bonanza either. Think of “dysfunctional” and MULTIPLE IT BY 6. You get points if you understood this reference.
Basically Greg is an incredibly unreliable narrator. And I loved that. We’re so immersed in his thought-process that we just coast along thinking like him, being like him, agreeing with him and — BOOM — everything explodes in awfulness. Even I, a cold-hearted Vulcan, empathised with Greg, despite some of his freakier obsessions…aka stalking the girl (HALLO ALICE) at school.
The book’s written in letter format. It’s to Alice, despite Greg never having…um…actually talked to her. (He’s got problems, okay?!) It’s in the style of “you smiled and I watched you”, which took me a little while to get used to. But once I squashed my brain into “YOU” mode, I loved it. I love uniqueness.
The story flows as Greg’s stream of consciousness, so when he panics, there’ll be chapters were EVERYTHING is a run-on sentence. I’m talking “there-is-no-period-in-the-entire-chapter” sort of thing. There’s also minimal dialogue. It’s a monologue.
“Eh,” I thought, “this isn’t going to work for me.” BUT IT DID. I could. not. put. it. down.
I loved the police transcripts too. They were completely devoid of Greg’s POV and…chilling.
Because, YES, this is a contemporary about mental illness…but it reads like a thriller.
Something BAD has happened. Something really really scary and it has to do wtih Greg and we readers don’t know yet. Greg’s sections are in the present and the transcripts are in the future…AND SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC HAS GONE DOWN.
‘Scuse me while I panic.
But, um, actually there was one thing I didn’t like:
…the ending isn’t really explained.
It’s implied. THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. I needed it to be confirmed. I needed the Terrible Horror to be written out in black-and-white, so gahhhh. That did sort of ruin the build up for me.
Basically this book is incredible and thrilling. I love unreliable narrators and there was this total tug of “whathappenedtellmenoworiwlilexplode” that kept me turning pages like a frantic fiend. I was totally choked up by the end. The delusions were written so convincingly, I totally choked up for Greg. Life is hard when you’re different and I think the author captured this. And with the “thriller” vibe? I COULD NOT STOP READING.
It’s like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower. So why are you even still here?! GO READ THIS BOOK.
Thanks Hachette for the review-copy! Alice and the Fly by James Rice was published February, 2015.
This is a book about phobias and obsessions, isolation and dark corners. It’s about families, friendships, and carefully preserved secrets. But above everything else it’s about love. Finding love – in any of its forms – and nurturing it.
Miss Hayes has a new theory. She thinks my condition’s caused by some traumatic incident from my past I keep deep-rooted in my mind. As soon as I come clean I’ll flood out all these tears and it’ll all be ok and I won’t be scared of Them anymore. The truth is I can’t think of any single traumatic childhood incident to tell her. I mean, there are plenty of bad memories – Herb’s death, or the time I bit the hole in my tongue, or Finners Island, out on the boat with Sarah – but none of these are what caused the phobia. I’ve always had it. It’s Them. I’m just scared of Them. It’s that simple.
Goodreads Hachette AU Book Depository Book World AU
Books written entirely in letters are… well Frankenstein technically is, though you can’t really tell. I don’t really have an opinion – I tried to do it once and it was hard 🙁 I’ve never read a book about a character with schiznophrenia before, but I need to (for research on mental health done well – from what you said in the review, this sounds like it gets it right… or right as in how I’ve interpreted what I’ve read on the net anyhow). I’ll definitely be picking this one up 😉
Really?! I had no idea about Frankenstein and I have read it….but I also have a notoriously bad memory. >.> I research mental illness too and, like, I wouldn't presume to know MUCH about it (which is why I like to read books on the topic) buuut it really feels very very real and incredibly well done.
Ok, you’ve convinced me, I’m off to the library to go and place a hold on it! IT’S LIKE YOU ACTUALLY WANT MY TBR TO KILL ME OR SOMETHING YOU AWFUL PERSON! Sheesh, stop recommending me such amazing sounding books!! xD
I DO. THAT IS EXACTLY MY EVIL, NEFARIOUS PLAN. I will recommend people so. many. good. books, that when I take over the world they'll be too busy reading to stop me. #excellentplan
OH MY GOSH WHY DIDN’T I REQUEST THIS IT SOUNDS AMAZING!!!! Hopefully I can get a library copy somehow…Perks meets thriller? That’s freaking AWESOME. NEED.
You need it. You absolutely do. TRUST ME EMILY. I NEVER LEAD YOU ASTRAY
Fantastic review! I need to get a copy of this book ASAP. It sounds incredible, exactly my sort of thing.
Yessss, you definitely do need it. YOU DO.
Added to my TBR list. Now I just need to get around to picking up a copy…
You completely sold me on this book. Literally everything about it sounds interesting. I love letter format, thrillers, and I am intrigued with books about mental illness. Great review!
OMG THIS IS TREMENDOUS NEWS. x) I do hope you get to read it!
SO WHAT, THRILLS, PHOBIAS AND MENTAL ILLNESS? Cait you have just found a book that is TOTALLY UP MY ALLEY *immediately adds to TBR*. Greg sounds completely freaky and I want to know whyy!
IT WAS MADE FOR YOU, JEANN. JUST DROP EVERYTHING AND GO FIND THIS BOOK AND EAT IT.
Love the photography Cait!
Aw, thanks, Mum! ^-^ See? I need a camera…aka you should upgrade yours and bequeath it to me….
I just decided to buy this book RIGHT NOW because of your review. This sounds amazing!! So much for my temporary book buying ban. Ha
OMG!!! WOW! AND YAY! AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, OKAY?!! *flails in anticipation*
YOU USED AN A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS GIF. CAKE ALL AROUND. (I love Aunt Jo — such a lovely grammar person.)
But this is like so perfect for me? (I KNOW I SAY THIS ALL THE TIME. YOU JUST MAKE EVERYTHING SOUND SO FABULOUS.) I think the winning point is really the you-and-I narrative PoV, because I love love love reading and writing that stuff. And basically I would love to read and write epistolary-ish things, so yes. I’m great with it, especially since the rest of stuff I read in that format is essentially fanfiction.
I’m not really bothered about the lack of dialogue, although dialogue is nice because there is much room for snark. 😀
THERE ARE FEW THINGS QUITE AS GLORIOUS AS A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, OKAY?! I love/hate all the Baudelaire’s relatives. xD
I ONLY SAY FABULOUS THINGS ARE FABULOUS, I PROMISE. And this one is like 100% fabulous, in a totally creepy and disturbing way. What am I even saying? Omg. Stahp speaking Cait, you’re so weird. JUST READ IT, ALYSSA. IT’S AWESOME. I’m a big fan of dialogue, but surprisingly, I ended up not minding the lack of it here!!
Great review!
Wow I love thrillers and I’m very intrigued by this one. WHAT HAPPENED? I MUST FIND OUT. Unreliable narrators can be scary yet exciting. I’m glad you liked this one!
Definitely “scary but exciting”. OMG YES FOR SURE.
I haven’t ever read a book written in letter format. Diary format, yes, but never letter. I might have to give this book a try…it sounds super good.
IT IS SUPER GOOD. *calms self because is over-excited again*
Great review. I’ve never heard of this book, but it sounds like something I’d enjoy. I just added it to my TBR list.
YAY!! THIS IS GOOD NEWS.
Whoa, now I want to go experiment with an unreliable narrator like that. Sounds like a really unique book. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it at the library.
By the way, I don’t know if you do tags, but I just tagged you over at my blog. 🙂 http://traceydyck.blogspot.ca/2015/04/favorite-screen-characters-tag.html
AWW THANK YOU! I shall check it out ASAP! XD
I’ve just added this book to my TBR list. I’m not normally on board with books written in only letters, but you have my curiosity peaked.
What can I say? I’M GOOD AT SELLING BOOKS. lol But seriously now…I hope you like it. 😉
You’ve convinced me. I’m going to go put it in my TBR pile now. =)
YAY. YOUR TBR IS CLEARLY AWESOMER NOW.
mmmm, this doesn’t sound like my kind of book. I have nothing against mental illness, and it’s accurate portrayal, but I have been around too many people like that and it’s been a *bad* experience, so I think that book might hit a little too close to home. *eyeballs you*
On the other hand… Aunt Josephine gif = A+ usage. XD
Ooh, I totally get that. I DO.
I love your reviews! 😀 This book sounds really good. I love reading novels the explore mental health issues. I’m also a fan of good epistolary novels! Your description of one has me sold! Officially on my TBR!
OMG. THANK YOU, BETH!! And I seriously hope you adore it when you get a chance to read it. ^-^
Oh wow okay MUST READ THIS BOOK NOW! It sounds great. I like books written in letter format. I actually have never struggled with them like ever. Maybe because I have like a million manuscripts of letter-format books (okay, not long enough to be books) that I wrote during my angsty teenage years, so, yeah. 😛
Angsty books in letters written during teenage years? SOUNDS FAMILIAR. WHY YES. I WROTE SOME TOO. hehe.
I loved Lucy Christopher’s Stolen, which was in a letter format from kidnap victim to captor. Haven’t read any books about schizophrenia, though. Well, not ones that were obvious, anyway.
A book with minimal dialogue… well, that’s kind of scary. I can see it falling into telling rather than showing quite easily. Then again, I don’t always like books with too much dialogue (especially when you lose track of who’s saying what). So… I guess I prefer a balance. But if a book is done well, I won’t not read it because it has too little or too much dialogue.
Yup, I definitely think this one falls into a lot of “telling” instead of “showing”, which sucks a bit…but also somehow fit the tone of the book? I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT I’M SAYING. I read another book that tried to do the same thing (I’ll Be There) and it totally flopped for me. So I guess this style is hit or miss??
HELP CAIT I’M TRYING TO SAVE MONEY BUT BOOKS.
Seriously. I didn’t know how bad I could want a book just from a review but man do I want this one. You are killing me. It might be high time to dust off my library card! (For all of you hyperventilating for my apparent neglect of my library card, with a job and coincidentally money, I’ve just been buying all my books recently on kindle or hard copy.)
WELL. DON’T WORRY. NEXT WEEK I’M REVIEWING SOME BOOKS I HATED AND THEREFORE WILL SAVE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. YOU’RE SO WELCOME IN ADVANCE.
OKAY. OKAY THANKS. *heavy breathing* *trying to control the book buying impulse*
This sounds amazing! Though I’m not a person that likes a book written in letters, I can’t stand them 🙁 or book with little to no dialogue – it makes them feel incomplete. But I might just give this one a try, thanks for the review!
Ooh, good luck with it then!! It’s not AS letter-y as Perks of Being a Wallflower, but still definitely has the 2nd person vibe.
YES. Books with little to no dialogue petrify me. It’s like my brain feels like it’s going to crumple into a black void of nothingness unless I see some quotation marks. And honestly I don’t read books that are written in letter format. *shrugs* idk, just not my type of thang.
Oooh, you probably wouldn’t do well on this one. I feel like I got used to the minimal-dialogue very fast? But also being in 2nd person threw me JUST A LITTLE. STILL. x) It totally sucked me in at the end and I was just lying around questioning the fairness of open-ended-books.
I want this so much.
YES YOU DO.
Even though you mention the ending leaves you hanging, I still want to read this book! It sounds absolutely fascinating and unique! Awesome review! Thanks for sharing this one. I’ll be adding it to my wish list.
And those hanging endings aren’t always bad per se…just frustrating?!!! *rampages down the street* It’s not like it’s open for a sequel I just WANT SOME BLACK-AND-WHITE ANSWERS GOSH DARNIT. *cries*
This sounds amazing! I’ve never read anything in letter format. Also something written so deeply from a single POV sounds astounding. I definitely want to read this.
Never?! Omg, Ashley you must fix this!! I LOVED Perks for being in a letter format, and this comes as a close second. x)
OKAY, SO NOW I’M CURIOUS. I’ve seen this book around, but I haven’t much thought about it until now. It sounds a lot more thriller-ly than I expected, which is good. And I ADORE books written in a letter style! (Buuuuuuuuut, I may be slightly bias here, I kinda wrote one. >.>)
The thriller-y part was just THE BEST. I wasn’t expecting it and the whole time I just sat there going “BUT WHAT HAAAPPENED. TELL ME NOW.” Ya know. Completely patient and calm, like I always am.
I AM A HUGE SUCKER FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA BOOKS. Gimee! But books written in letter/journal/diary format? Ehh… Minimal dialogue? Double eh… Even if this book sounds so incredibly fantastic… I’m reeeeally scared to read it. I tend to shy away from (and never touch) these kinds of books. D:
Ah, I totally totally get that. There are too many books to try to risk ones you probs won’t like sometimes, eh? I UNDERSTAND THIS PAIN.
I do kind of like the letter format, though at the same time, minimal dialogue DOES scare me. At any rate, this book sounds quite good! I have read a book about schizophrenia before (Challenger Deep) but there’s always room for more! Especially because this sounds VERY different, I think I would like it! You and my TBR are obviously conspiring against me.
The minimal dialogue scared me too, particularly at the beginning when I realised that was how it’d be. buuuuut. I WAS VERY QUICKLY SOLD IT’S AWESOMENESS. I want to rad Challenger Deep so so bad. NEAL SHUSTERMAN IS AMAZING. Also horrible. Omg, I will never be okay after Unwind.
Pfft, your TBR loves me and my posts.
OMG YOU TOTALLY SOLD ME THIS ONE! I mean, you mentioned TPOBAW. And I haven’t read anything with a schizophrenic character (the Heroes of Olympus series does not count) so this is really intriguing. Plus, I’m fond of unreliable narrators! (Have you read Gone Girl?) And as for the letter type style, I’ve only read TPOBAW and Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, which are in this format and both worked incredibly for me. So yeah. Stoked! Thank you!
YES I THINK YOU’D LIKE THIS ONE A LOT. Particularly after that epic post you did on mental illness books. x) GO READ IT NOW. THAT IS ALL. (And I haven’t read Gone Girl but I saw the movie and I’m mostly just scarred for life.)
I love books like this! Isn’t it gorgeous? Look at the cover! It’s written in letter form, there are police minutes (freakin’ heck I love those) and it’s about mental illness. WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE? Oh my days there’s a Them. UNRELIABLE NARRATORS ARE SO COOL. This book is going to give me a nosebleed. Adios while I engrave this onto my to-buy list. 😀
THE COVER IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I’VE SEEN IN FOREVER. *hyperventilates quietly with cover love* I admit I wanted to read this book 78% because of the cover…AHEM.
I love that the narrator is unreliable. That just makes me want to read from his perspective even more. I really like the first person? thing going on too. And transcripts are a new thing so I’m intrigued. I’m really freaked out by his behavior, but it seems he has schizophrenia so I hope he goes o a mental hospital or gets help in the end. That vague ending though… does not sound good. Poor Alice. I feel like all Alice’s in books get the end of the stick. I don’t think she’s going to make it if I’m perfectly honest. I’m interesting in finding out though.
Gee, you are so RIGHT. Is Alice is an unlucky name or something?! XD
To be honest, I don’t think I’ve read a book written in a letter format so I have no idea how I’d feel about that but I feel like it wouldn’t be a problem for me.
But going back to the book, THIS BOOK SOUNDS SCARY. In the best way possible. I love unreliable characters and I love the sound of the mystery aspect of the book but also Greg. I feel like Greg is the kind of character I will have no idea how I feel about because he is stalking this girl but also, it will be so easy to sympathize with him!
I am glad you loved this book, Cait.
I AM GOING TO GO ADD IT NOW. *flips hair and walks away*
Woah?! You’ve NEVER read a book in letter format? RASHIKA WE MUST FIX THIS. They are brilliant. ^-^ Unreliable narrators = the best, in my opinion. We never know what they’re going to do… >.> OH THE CHILLS.
I thought that this book would be OK but it actually blew me away. It was so beautifully written.
I think the transcript sections helped move the story along in the beginning but it is really all down to Greg that I had such huge feels for this book.
SAME! I was not expecting just how amazing and phenomenal and incredible it would be. Just mopping up my tears, brb.
First off, I LOVE BOOKS IN LETTER FORMAT. I love them to death. And a book about mental illness BUT READS LIKE A THRILLER. Ok, you’ve clearly got me hooked, SO I WILL TAKE IT. I will add this to my TBR.
Dude I just love this review, and your review style, your blog in general, and the way you can CONVINCE PEOPLE TO READ BOOKS. I wish I could express how much I love them through these comments, but that would just involve a lot of flailing and not much words.
DUDE, JUST GO READ IT. I THINK IT WAS WRITTEN FORY OU.
Omg, :’) STAHHHP YOU’RE MAKING ME BLUSH. THIS IS LITERALLY THE NICEST THING EVER. THANK YOU, VAL. I JUST…GAH. *FLAILS IRRATIONALLY*
Okay, so this definitely doesn’t sound how I imagined it would, but I’m absolutely adding it to my tbr- the whole police investigation, future and past way of telling the story, it already has me captivated. Not to mention I, ahm, really like the cover. And the whole world is upside down? Cait, this sounds incredible! Not a huge fan of the unreliable narrator, but I’ll give this a go. I don’t think it even sounds like the kind of book you can give up on, or at least not for me. You either read it all or you don’t read it at all. I’m sure this isn’t true at all, but it does seem to have that thrilling-don’t-put-it-down-don’t-worry-i-can’t element to it, specific as that may be. Excellent review, Cait! Xx
If you DNF’d it at the start you’d miss out on sooooo much, so YES. It’s a book you really need to see through to know what you think. Although, ya know, with unreliable narrators, things get emotionally strangling very very fast. xD Thank you! SO glad you liked the review!
This is the first time I’ve been here (came via Twitter) and your blog is so well designed! Very pro and incredibly readable. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this too – I wasn’t completel blown away by it but I think I am in the vast minority.