And the award for Most Interesting Premise But Lackluster Execution goes to... drumroll please... The Wishing Game.
Like what the heck? Obviously, I have a lot to say, so please hear me out.
First, the premise. With its promise of a famous children's author hosting a game to win it all on a remote island shaped for the face of a clock, this book sounds like the most magical, whimsical journey. It's distinctly Willy Wonka-esque, and I don't know anybody who doesn't love that. Add in that eye-catching title which totally tugs at the imagination, and I was all ready to be impressed. But no, this fell so short on pretty much every level, I can only gape at the distance between my expectations and reality.
At the heart of it, this just doesn't read like adult fiction. It reads distinctly like a children's book, and honestly, not a very good one. There's a simplicity to the writing and the story that doesn't grab my attention. It's hard to stay engaged when every scene is so formulaic and bland. In fact, there are excerpts in here from the children's books themselves, and there were no discernible differences between the writing in there and the actual story.
The characters never became anything more than cardboard cutouts of real people. Each has one or two characteristics that define them, and they stay within those narrowly defined bounds. Lucy is poor and hates her family and wants to adopt Christopher. Christopher is a sad foster kid who loves sharks. Hugo is a temperamental artist who scowls a lot. And Jack is an eccentric author who lives in an eccentric house on an eccentric island, and every thing he says is eccentric. There, I've summed up the entirety of the cast.
The way they interact with each other is so odd and forced. Like if you've only known someone for 24 cumulative hours, would you go around hugging them and asking them to be your parent? What about calling your coworker "baby girl"? Or promising a child without parents that you can just adopt them, even when you yourself don't have safe housing or reliable transportation? I don't know, maybe you can, and it's just me that's weird.
But it wasn't just a scene here or there. There were so many moments that came off as vaguely creepy or inappropriate or uncomfortable or just plain weird, but they were all written as if they're actually heartwarming. It was so bizarre and puzzling, I felt like I was in a twilight zone.
And that's just it. Throughout this entire book, it's as if I was being sold a story and I couldn't shake the feeling that it was wrong. I can suspend disbelief for plot, but it's very hard to suspend disbelief for characters and the way they act. If what they say and do feel a little bit off, then it's like I'm constantly being reminded that what I'm reading isn't real. It's hard to become immersed in a story like that.
There's this phrase—"death by a thousand cuts"— that I think is totally appropriate here. There isn't any one thing I can point to that is egregiously wrong with this story, but there are so many little things. The simple writing, the dull dialogue and plot, and the way all the characters interact that feel just a little bit off—all put together, make this an extremely underwhelming read.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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