An Almond for a Parrot by Wray Delaney
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
This book was suggested in the Goodreads blog post “The Contenders for the Best Audiobooks of the Year” and the narrator, Rachel Atkins, does a remarkable job bringing this story to life. Sadly, the story itself wasn’t for me. Throughout most of the book I felt lost and confused as to what was actually going on and which genre(s) the story was trying to fit into.
I’m very torn about what to say about the characters, because when I think about them individually and separated from the story, they weren’t too bad. Upon closer inspection they felt rather one-dimensional and stock-like, only to serve a certain purpose, but never fully integrating into the story. Also, the protagonist became tiresome and annoying very quickly with her preoccupation to finally have sex.
The plot, if it was there, I’m not sure where it was hiding. Was it a murder mystery, slowly unfolding, a softer erotica story, following a young woman’s rite of passage, historical fiction? I really don’t know and that’s what distracted me throughout most of the story.
The writing was good, but at a certain point the numerous metaphors about male genitalia were tiring.
Overall, it appears I’m in the minority with my opinion of this story, but it just didn’t do it for me. I felt distracted and confused by the lack of clarity and direction. I found myself zoning in and out of the story. I would give it a pass.
