Date of Completion: 31/08/20
The hype surrounding this book all boils down to a very well written blurb for which I must first congratulate Adrian. It is very captivating and draws you in.
You are not the first. And you will certainly not be the last.
However, readers must be prepared for the uphill trudge that is the first half of this book. As expected, the first few chapters set the scene and we are introduced to the central characters, who we follow on their journey through the chain. Sadly, once this formality is completed the first half of this book really stalls. The pacing and storytelling were just all wrong!
Having said that, I do understand that the slow start is a necessary evil that allows the reader to gain a full understanding of the chain, its influence and processes. But seriously, it really does get to the point where we are going through everyday motions with the characters and I almost gave up on the book.
What did keep me going were hints of insightfulness – this is where I must give my second congratulations to Adrian. On the one hand, the hints were so subtle that I had to finish reading the book in order to fully appreciate them. On the other hand, they were distinct enough for me to see that the author was building up to a moment of crescendo as well as reflecting on modern times. For example, the quote below is one of my favourites from the book as it not only gives a nod to George Orwell’s 1984 but it is one that I really do believe to be true given the expansive rise of social media – but that is a soapbox rant for another day!
George Orwell was wrong, she thinks. In the future, it won’t be the state that keeps tabs on everyone by extensive use of surveillance; it will be the people.
Another dilemma I faced while reading the first half of this book was the thought that there really are no twists here.
Having read the blurb, it seemed like the story just played out what we already knew, but I kept reading in the hope that there might be something more. This is where the saving grace of the book really came through – in the person of Ginger.
We are fully introduced to Ginger in the second half of the book, and from this point, links to earlier parts of the novel become apparent and we can piece together the groundwork the author has put it in. Additional touches of fore-boding and flashbacks are also done in a way that really ties whole story together.
A man once told me that all good books should end on chapter seventy-seven
Contrary to popular opinion, I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. I feel that the book finishes with a well-deserved bang and I can easily see the end as an action movie – it’s very reminiscent of Scarface. Nonetheless, this is not enough to completely erase the dullness of the first half so I’m giving this book 3.5 stars. If only the whole book was like the second half, the Chain would easily be 4, if not 4.5 stars, for me!
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