Friday, January 23, 2009

Abomination by Robert Swindells

Abomination is Martha's sister Mary's child, and so named because of the shame he inflicted upon the family being born out of wedlock. This is what Martha and Mary's parents firmly believe, that the child is something to be ashamed and embarrassed of. Mary was exiled and now Abomination is a six year old boy who has been brought up in a cage in his grandparent's basement. Martha too is a prisoner trapped by her parent's religious fanaticism into caring for her sister's so-called "abomination". With the aid of Scott, the new kid at school and the only friend of Mary's, Mary searches for her sister, hoping to reunite Abomination with his mother and perhaps escape the confines of her own strict life.

The book had a lot of potential it did not live up to. The plot was complex, but the resolution too simplistic. Everything tended to fall in place too easily. For example, Martha's willingness to share all her dark secrets with Scott seemed unrealistic as she had for years been a loner. The characters needed further developing, and the book needed lengthening to make the plot more plausible.

Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Holly Springs, North Carolina United States of America