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dissabte, 6 de febrer del 2016

Graft - Matt Hill (english review)

Disclaimer: English is my third language,  so I want to apologize in advance for there may be mistakes in the text below. If you find any, please let me know so that I can correct it. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks. You can read this review also in spanish here.

I have doubts about how to approach this review. The problem is the reason why the book has not convinced me. I'm not sure if it's my fault or the books'. Let's see if I can explain.

Graft places us in Manchester, in a near dystopian future, where a series of social problems in which the author doesn't delve, have resulted in a tough society where everyone must do whatever it takes to try to survive. Sol and Irish run a workshop, and after stealing a luxury car they find Y in the trunk, a modified woman who has three arms. Sol  tries to help Y and so will have to face those who want to recover her, with the help of Roy, a hired thug, and Mel, his former wife.

Simultaneously with the main story Matt Hill intercalates fragments of Y's live narrated in the first person, from the moment she is created until the time that is locked in the trunk.
The story is coral, and more complex than it seems, since the plot, apparently with  a  structure of a thriller, is complicated by the appereance of dimensional portals, body modifications and other topics related to science fiction. Many times is raw, not suitable for sensitive stomachs, especially the parts narrated from the point of view of Y, the best parts of the book in my oppinion.

The main problem I have is that I have not been hooked by the book, the rhythm has many ups and downs. And my question is whether it is due to the narrative style of Matt Hill or to the use of slang, argot, double meanings ... that have exceeded my knowledge of english language and have slowed my reading experience. I had to re-read whole pages to find the full meaning of the plot.
I've been reading books in English for a long time, and therefore I would choose the first option, but I prefer to keep the doubt. I will wait to see the reviews and comments of English-speaking people to make the choice.


I want to emphasize that if I showed patience and I have not given up reading altough I was not thoroughly enjoying it it's because I was curious to know how the story ended, so I had  to grant merit as the author has created the plot's intrigue.

I think Hill has a good future as a writer, but he has to refine details such as the character's motivation (I have not understood why Sol insists on helping Y), or the world-building, in which I would have liked to deepen more.

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