12-22-2012
My recent reading that I just completed is Addicted by Zane. I have several
comments to make about this writing and unfortunately none of them are really
positive. Now keep in mind I did go into this with expectations so my approach
is from a certain state of mind. I didn't just randomly pick up the book to
read but went by the suggestion of three people. As a result I did not take
into consideration the way the writing would be presented to me. I also was not
prepared for the focus to be all over the place as it was which turn to me made
me feel out of focus reading it. This may only be a first read but I tend to
pay particular attention to the writing of stories especially now.Mind you I am not speaking down to Zane who has published way more books than myself (of which my count is zero). However, as I read the book a lot of things threw me off. For starters the use of language. I am used to reading the very proper English that one would see in most fiction books. Zane however narrates this book in first person and the character is an African American woman. Realistically I am an African American woman and I think the language of the character goes way over the top to reinforce this (hey I even have black female friends and they don't speak like this). There are flashbacks throughout the book that involve Zoe, or the protagonist, telling the psychiatrist about her past. The language of these flashbacks however seems to spill into her adult speech. Minus a bit more cursing the language of her youth and that of her adult years are practically the same. It makes it hard for me to distinguish the young rough girl and then the established business woman that runs her own company At some point going into business for yourself you have to learn to speak and approach things a certain way but you never see this in the characters speech. She never learns proper speech etiquette in any of her interactions. Maybe there was purpose in this.
I would like to think that maybe Zane intentionally set
things up this way. Maybe due to the mental trauma she wanted the older Zoe to
seem similar to her younger self. Her speech being a connection to the scars
suffered and hidden in her childhood and manifesting themselves as her
inability to completely leave her younger habits behind like her speech. Just
being inquiring and maybe I'm wrong but I am trying to understand this from a
writers point. The reasons this is such a big deal as that even though I know
the chapters separate the flashback from the present it gets to a point where
the voice is the same throughout that I begin to feel as though I am reading
the same person, young or old. In the end I start to lose understanding in
where I am seems like young Zoe is talking to me in a scene that is dealing
with adult Zoe.
I feel that was enough there so moving on...Another thing for me is that the story seemed really confused. It couldn't figure out if it was a story about addiction, or a murder mystery, or a thriller, or if it was psyche fiction. The story started out as a background of young Zoe and Jason. It was who Zoe was and how she had established her relationship with her husband Jason. So it was a slow start but it shows us who Jason and Zoe are and all they have been through as she explains to Dr. Marcella. With this start you believe the focus to be how Zoe will fix her relationship with Jason but no. It then shifts to what I can only assume are Zane's trademark sex scenes as we first meet Quinton, Zoe's first addiction. As you read this you think the sex is the main focus, considering the book is called addiction and the character is addicted to sex, but then again it's not. Zoe doesn't really participate in any strong sexual scenes until Quinton. She is married to Jason yes but he isn't providing her with what she needs to satisfy her. So it is more sex deprivation, she feels the lack of intimacy between herself and her husband and seeks fulfillment elsewhere. So you feel you have a better grasp and it is all tying together. Zoe adds to her number of lovers as so she can fulfill different levels of need but only after one lover fucks up. She leaves Quinton for Tyson only after Quinton "cheats" on her with Diamond. Then doesn't chose to mess with Tyson as much as he has a crazy ex that keeps destroying her car and decides to let Diamond eat her out a couple of times. Then goes back to Quinton. So now you think that is great she has her addiction set up but no. While all of this is being sorted out, someone is getting beat brutally in an abusive relationship, another is brutally murdered, and a yet another person turns out to be psychotic.
In the end I wanted to know more than what was presented
because the other characters seemed more interesting than the story that was being told. You barely meet Diamond,
her whole story is brushed over quickly.
Now you are left wondering what were the details of that encounter. Did Zoe go
over to see Dempsey and Diamond comes along and tempts her. Zoe just goes with
it to see what it is to be eaten out by a girl. Did she return because she
liked it. Then there was the brutal killing of Brina, what was her dramatic
life like and how did she go such a different path from her friend. More than anything I almost want to have a
whole book written on Dempsey, forget Zoe. This guy has the body of over twelve
people buried below his first mural including his brother, sister, father, and
step-mother. What happened with him? When did he snap? I stopped asking
questions about Zoe. Her character just didn't have a cohesive enough story for
me t really care to learn anything about her. When Dempsey started killing more
people it started to get interesting there. But again that's just me. I will re-visit
this reading again at a later time for now I have said my piece.
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