This is an oldie from 1989 but one in my collection I itched to read. Who wouldn't be intrigued by that cover?
Weighing
in at a mere 289 pages, Monday's Child focuses on a strange girl, Jill,
where the reader is never quite sure what she is. I left not knowing
either. From the beginning with her bizarre birth, to her strange
schooling, and finally some sort of metamorphosis, I still stayed lost
but strangely stayed glued to the book. Plot wise not a lot is answered,
but the mystery is still fun to sort through, with strange happenings
and some semi-compassionate characters. It's nothing overly complex, but
it's also not a run-of-the-mill plot rehash, which is a welcome change
in horror.
Jill
seemed a unique, interesting being - alien? Vampire of sorts? Who
knows? - who doesn't feel much emotion for people but does have small
smidgings of compassion. I'm still not sure what the ending with her was
supposed to signify. Character-wise I grew fond of the mother and aunt,
who stood out with their realistic traits and colorful additions. The
story is told in third-person, where we're able to jump around in the
head of others and know what's happening at all sides.
Suspense
is present but not too heady, at the end the climax is fierce enough
for this short of a story. Wallace writes well, keeping it simple and
sweet, to the point and not weighing scenes down by senseless
description. Violence does occur but nothing overtly brutal and high in
number. Sex does not play a role in this book in any form. Gore isn't
heavy either, but instead more is left to the imagination, particularly
with the 'blender' accident.
Strangely
the back cover blurb does not exactly match the story. Jill never cries
emerald tears, so I'm not sure if the person who wrote the cover blurb
even read the story, or if that was emitted later. Also, the town never
knew of the doctor's story with the mother disappearing before his eyes.
In fact, it shows at the beginning that he clearly chose to tell no one
because he knew they wouldn't believe him. A boy never falls out of a
oak tree, either.
Overall
it's worth a read if it's laying around but not worth searching for to
purchase. It's a story that's forgettable but fun to read while
experiencing it, if that makes sense. I'm sure all readers here
understand my statement when I say that.
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