Handcuffs by Bethany Griffin
Nov. 15th, 2009 10:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Here’s a question for your secret diary. You know, the one with the flimsy little key. Is it better for him to lie, or to not say it at all?
Parker Prescott is an ice princess. Cold, aloof, a snob. At least, that’s what everyone says on Marion Henessy’s blog. And everyone reads Marion Henessy’s blog.
Parker Prescott is a middle child. She’s the good one, the dependable one, the one her parents trust. Well ... she used to be.
Parker Prescott’s parents want her to break up with her boyfriend. But she already did, two weeks ago. And then she realised it was a mistake. He came over. He had the handcuffs in his pocket. Everything went downhill from there. Sort of.
Parker Prescott’s world is changing and she no longer knows who she is. Does anyone?
Despite the titillating title and book blurb, this is essentially a coming of age story. Since Parker Prescott’s dad lost his job, money’s been tight and her parents are fighting all the time. Her parents also disapprove of her boyfriend and although Parker’s secretly broken up with him, she thinks she made a mistake. To top things off, Parker is also the favourite target of Marion Henessy’s popular blog – Marion having held a grudge against the Prescott’s since Parker’s elder sister Paige took out a restraining order against Marion’s elder brother Kyle, leading to his having a breakdown. The story then follows Parker’s attempts to bring control back to her life and work out what she wants.
Because this is a character piece, the plot is fairly slow moving and aimed at promoting Parker’s character arc. Griffin gives Parker a strong first person voice and it is easy to believe in her journey, although there are times when she is remarkably slow on the up-take, not least when it comes to the truth about her sister Paige. It would have been good to see her questioning her sister and parents more about the circumstances surrounding Kyle’s stalking rather than having her believe what she’s been told. Although Parker’s relationship with Raye is believable, her relationship with her boyfriend (who is rarely named in the text) is too idealised, which is partly the point but still leads to eye-rolling. The competitiveness between Parker and Paige is convincing but more could have been made about the relationship between Paige and her husband West, which is somewhat glossed over.
Handcuffs do feature in two scenes in the book, one more important than the other. The sex scenes are chaste with most of the action happening off page. The reconciliation is interesting in that Parker’s final decision goes against the norm for this type of story, although there is a slightly unbelievable end to Paige’s storyline.
In conclusion, although this type of story is not my cup of tea, it is fairly well written and Parker’s voice is credible, which means that it’s worth a read if you’re into that type of story.
The Verdict:
The story isn’t my cup of tea, but the writing holds the interest and the voices are on the whole credible.
Parker Prescott is an ice princess. Cold, aloof, a snob. At least, that’s what everyone says on Marion Henessy’s blog. And everyone reads Marion Henessy’s blog.
Parker Prescott is a middle child. She’s the good one, the dependable one, the one her parents trust. Well ... she used to be.
Parker Prescott’s parents want her to break up with her boyfriend. But she already did, two weeks ago. And then she realised it was a mistake. He came over. He had the handcuffs in his pocket. Everything went downhill from there. Sort of.
Parker Prescott’s world is changing and she no longer knows who she is. Does anyone?
Despite the titillating title and book blurb, this is essentially a coming of age story. Since Parker Prescott’s dad lost his job, money’s been tight and her parents are fighting all the time. Her parents also disapprove of her boyfriend and although Parker’s secretly broken up with him, she thinks she made a mistake. To top things off, Parker is also the favourite target of Marion Henessy’s popular blog – Marion having held a grudge against the Prescott’s since Parker’s elder sister Paige took out a restraining order against Marion’s elder brother Kyle, leading to his having a breakdown. The story then follows Parker’s attempts to bring control back to her life and work out what she wants.
Because this is a character piece, the plot is fairly slow moving and aimed at promoting Parker’s character arc. Griffin gives Parker a strong first person voice and it is easy to believe in her journey, although there are times when she is remarkably slow on the up-take, not least when it comes to the truth about her sister Paige. It would have been good to see her questioning her sister and parents more about the circumstances surrounding Kyle’s stalking rather than having her believe what she’s been told. Although Parker’s relationship with Raye is believable, her relationship with her boyfriend (who is rarely named in the text) is too idealised, which is partly the point but still leads to eye-rolling. The competitiveness between Parker and Paige is convincing but more could have been made about the relationship between Paige and her husband West, which is somewhat glossed over.
Handcuffs do feature in two scenes in the book, one more important than the other. The sex scenes are chaste with most of the action happening off page. The reconciliation is interesting in that Parker’s final decision goes against the norm for this type of story, although there is a slightly unbelievable end to Paige’s storyline.
In conclusion, although this type of story is not my cup of tea, it is fairly well written and Parker’s voice is credible, which means that it’s worth a read if you’re into that type of story.
The Verdict:
The story isn’t my cup of tea, but the writing holds the interest and the voices are on the whole credible.
