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reviews

Katka: A Novella

Stephen Ross Meier
BookSurge Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9781439216330
Reviewed by Tina Avon for RebeccasReads (3/09)

Katka is the kind of book that I have always found incredibly difficult to review.  There are some parts of the book that I absolutely adored and some other parts that I did not like as much, so creating a balanced review was a bit of a challenge, depending on the different aspects I am writing about.

The plotline of Katka is very interesting and quite original, introducing the main characters of Gavin and Katka who together decide to set up a scam involving mail order brides.  The scheme is pretty basic, but it works, that is until one day Katka disappears with one of her clients.  After a very short time of contemplation, Gavin decides to move on as if nothing ever happened.  However, as time goes by, Gavin grows a bit of a conscience and starts wondering what would have happened had he chosen a different life with Katka.

As I mentioned earlier, the plotline is very interesting and extremely engrossing; the author describes the scheme with glee and I found myself totally buying into it.  The details, the set up and the execution of the main plotline are wonderful and kept me wanting to read more.

What did not work for me in this book were the characters.  None of them were remotely likeable and while this meshes well with the storyline, it removed some of my investment in this novella.  Yes, I agree that the characters should not be sugar and spice, but I found them to be despicable and I also found myself not caring about any of them or what happened to them.

I must, however, admit that I admire Meier for taking such a leap in writing this book.  Although, in the end, it may not have been entirely my cup of tea, I think this would work well for someone who was looking for a grim and dark (noir) story.

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