Customer Reviews

How Things Break

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don't judge this book by its cover. Kerala Goodkin's novel is incredibly written and is one of the best novels I've read in awhile. By the first paragraph, you're hooked, and before you know it you're half way through. (I'm in the middle of my internship in medicine, and I read half of the book in one sitting and I couldn't put it down.) She has created a character that is refreshing, and I didn't want the book to end because it meant having to let go of the main character. The quality of this book compares to The Namesake, Kiterunner, and Middlesex--only that she substitutes ethnic themes with redneck ones. Also, its much better than The Secret of Bees. Seriously, don't be fooled by the cover. There's a reason she won the Elixir Inaugural Fiction Contest.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I sat down and read it in only two sittings and couldn't put it down. Ms. Goodkin created unique characters from middle-America that makes you think of the greats, like James Wilcox's "Modern Baptists."

There is a real dearth of well-rounded, fully-developed female characters in today's American literature. Ms. Goodkin created not one, but four in Nat, Gram, Sandra, and Nat's mother. A real envelope-pushing achievement!

Ms. Goodkin's has created characters that willingly invite you into their lives and to accompany them to Small Town Michigan. Until this novel, I had yet to read something that kept me thinking about what its characters were doing each time I had to put it down as though they were part of my life. This is a great piece of modern literature!

I just finished Kerala's book, and I absolutely loved it! The characters, as quirky and unique as they are, were 100% believable. By the end of the book, I felt like they were my close friends. Small town Michigan has never felt nearer!

Ok, I'll admit...it's the only book I've read in years. But I really did enjoy reading How Things Break and I couldn't put it down until I was done. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next K. Goodkin novel...

This is a wonderful novel, a slice of Michigan life cleanly crafted. Just enough spice and tension, along with the pains of daily living, and a glimmer of hope on the last page. I look forward to Kerala Goodkin's next novel.