Saturday, January 14, 2012

This Is Where We Live

This is actually a different cover than for the book I read, but somehow I think it fits better.  I picked up this book from the library based off a 'best of' list that I can't even recall.  I was hesitant at first when it started off talking about the lead character's film directing aspirations.  I'm guilty myself of writing stories about artists, although I haven't lately, but I know that a lot of people do as a scapegoat for writing about something more personal.  I have to say that my fears quickly vanished.  What this book is really about is getting over yourself and accepting that you can't just be a flippant artist all the time, that you have to be someone else as well, and that sometimes other things will come before your work.  That's a hard lesson to learn and, to be truthful, one I still deal with.  Janelle Brown does a really good job of taking an honest look at these problems and really putting her characters through the ringer.  I love how much she punishes them, and I know that there were a few instances where I got pretty emotionally involved and thinking - come on!  Give them a break here, please!  And I'm glad that she didn't. 
It's a strong novel with strong characters and themes and I think could make a pretty lovely film if done properly. 

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