This is one of those books that you cannot spoil because the prologue, and even the back cover, tell you how it ends. I felt robbed of my sense of discovery and wondered: I already know the plot, why read it, then?
Driven by curiosity, it was only at the end, after reflecting on my read, that I thought perhaps the point isn’t discovery. Instead, it’s a reflection on how the protagonist writes about her past to show who she was and who she has become after living that experience in those first years of adulthood.
While reading, I felt the story wasn’t fully believable. I think this was mainly because the narrative is so focused on just the two main characters that it felt as if there was a spotlight on them while the rest of the world didn’t exist. I was also struck by the recurring number 303, which made the story feel like a “perfect cycle”, so perfect, in fact, that it couldn’t be realistic.
But perhaps that is the whole point of the book and I just didn’t get it or it didn’t resonate with my reading taste. I prefer books where I can live and feel with the protagonist, and here I missed the unpredictable suspense of a more realistic novel.
That being said, the book is definitely well-written and beautiful to read. I particularly loved the pace. Each chapter is only about a few pages long, which kept my interest alive and made the reading experience flow. I also loved the pop-art style cover, it felt so good to have this book in my hands.
All in all, this book made me reflect a lot about my reading taste, so I’m interested in the sequel to see if I can learn to appreciate a different perspective on storytelling.
Author: Sylvia Brownrigg
Year First Published: 2001