About the Book-Smash all the Windows by Jane Davis
It has taken conviction to right the wrongs. It will take courage to learn how to live again.
‘An all-round triumph.’ John Hudspith
For the families of the victims of the St Botolph and Old Billingsgate disaster, the undoing of a miscarriage of justice should be a cause for rejoicing. For more than thirteen years, the search for truth has eaten up everything. Marriages, families, health, careers and finances.
Finally, the coroner has ruled that the crowd did not contribute to their own deaths. Finally, now that lies have been unravelled and hypocrisies exposed, they can all get back to their lives.
If only it were that simple.
Tapping into the issues of the day, Davis delivers a highly charged work of metafiction, a compelling testament to the human condition and the healing power of art. Written with immediacy, style and an overwhelming sense of empathy, Smash all the Windows will be enjoyed by readers of How to Paint a Dead Man by Sarah Hall and How to be Both by Ali Smith.
“highly charged work of metafiction”. This word that I have no idea what it means further proves to me I was indeed stupid.
Read on for our review of Smash all the Windows by Jane Davis
Our Review of Smash all the Windows by Jane Davis
Let me be honest and say that when I picked up the book, I was hoping for some kind of noir thriller. Some form of a slow-burn psychological thriller. Guess it was my bad to not have read the synopsis of the book before picking it up. In my defence, it is quite common for me to pick up a book based on its cover or just the vibe it gives out. I have quite a few books that I picked up on impulse. I finished this book and still not understanding what happened in the book, decided to go and check its synopsis. What baffled me was the kind of rating it has. The book has almost achieved 5-star reviews and this got me even more depressed. ( even twilight and Da Vinci Code has only 3.5 /4-star rating) I felt that I was the only stupid one to have not seen the appeal of the book 🙁
The second thing was “highly charged work of metafiction”. This word that I have no idea what it means further proves to me I was indeed stupid. I was right in thinking that this book was not for me. It totally wasn’t.
If you ask me what the book was all about then I have no answer. I seriously have no answer because I didn’t understand or comprehend the book. The whole book as per what I can understand is basically a sort of “fictional self-help”? I mean the book basically is about a group of bereaved characters who are struggling in their loss and the future without their loved ones.
I am so happy that I didn’t invest in the physical copy of the book because that would have been a disaster. I had this on audiobook where at least I could fast forward, slow play, even skip. Needless to say, nothing helped because I HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT THIS BOOK.
To me, the book is a looooooooong journal of various stages of people, their inner turmoils, monologues, different people’s concepts of grief, anger and struggles and the idea of dealing with bereavement. That much I got but I am the kind of person who hates preaching and self-help unless it is wrapped and presented in a better fashion. so naturally a book hell-bent on exploring the rawness of grief would be nothing sort of disaster.
Can you imagine, that there are no actual plot developments or events in the book? I mean at the risk of being a spoiler, the book takes place after a major accident happens, leading to the death of a whole lot of people. (The very chapter tells you this in a couple of paragraphs). So now from thereon this book is basically chapter by chapter a journal of how the families of these people who got killed, try to cope and trying to seek justice. Trust me I thought at least seeking justice would be something interesting and eventful… it is not.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all I have to say is that this was not for me. I hated it because it is making me sound stupid. Apparently, this book is some intellectual version of writing only meant for higher IQ or at least not for someone with my brain quality. Or else how do you explain this book’s popularity and rating on Goodreads? Anyways what I understand is that the book is some sort of experimental writing and I clearly failed as its guinea pig. Adios Amigos. I will evacuate this brainy alley before I puddle up on its road. Peace out ✌️
Squirrel Rating
