Not a bad debut

27 Nov, 2016 - 00:11 0 Views
Not a bad debut

The Sunday Mail

Andrew Moyo Beyond The Cover —
THE pool of local writers is growing by the day despite the challenges affecting the literary industry. While some of the writers venturing into the business might have chosen the wrong profession, there are others who are showing signs of brilliance.

Turkey-based psychology student, Alayina Halero, might just be moving in the right direction as far as writing is concerned. Her debut novel “The Eye of Eve”, might not be in the bestseller category but then it is not a bad effort from a first timer.

While she might need a bit of panel beating, there is no doubt that her imagination and creativity is excellent if the storyline is anything to go by. Opting to deviate from the real world, Halero creates an imaginary world with the story revolving around the three daughters of the richest man in the State of Southland.

Despite the luxurious life they lead, these individuals also have their fair share of challenges, which they encounter on a daily basis. The central characters, Sophie, Nora and Bernadette are sisters but they do not have a healthy relationship until they stumble upon a book written by their aunt, Eve, revealing the reasons behind the rifts.

They are like prisoners in their world as they are not allowed to leave the safety of their palace with their parents fearing that they might be harmed. From being home-schooled to shopping online and having to seek approval for friendships — their lives are confined, with minimal interaction with the outside world.

Bernadette is the youngest, a seven-year-old who has already developed a passion for reading extensively and acts more mature than her older sisters.
Then there is Nora, a radical 15-year-old whose carefree attitude is displayed by her antics, including attending a family gathering in her pyjamas.

Sophie, the oldest sister is about to turn 18, her parents have to arrange a boyfriend for her since the confinement does not afford her the opportunity to mix and mingle with boys from outside the palace.

This book fuses suspense, mystery and romance with the writer managing to convincingly knit her storyline together. The narration is however, a big let-down as the author failed to play around with the various literary devices that would have spiced up the work.

It could have been the style she opted for but while I was reading I felt like she could have done more to avoid the simplistic and rather flat tone in the narration.

“She hears her grandmother’s voice coming from the library. She walks up to the library. The door is half open. Grandma, as she calls her, is sitting on her wheelchair with one of the maids, Leona.

Leona has specifically been employed to look after Grandma, who is now visually impaired due to advanced age . . . goes one passage in the book.
But what the writer lacks in narration, she makes up for it in the intricate dialogue, which gives life to the book.

The exchanges between the various characters in the story keep it interesting with the writer’s exploitation of expression adding weight to the conversations.

While this book might not be appealing to the mature reader, the story will definitely be a hit among a younger audience, especially teenagers considering the ages of the protagonists.

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