Tale of the Tigers-Impressions (KingShamus)

I dunno if I've mentioned this before, but FYI--a great blogger has become a great author.  I just finished "Tale of The Tigers".  It's a tremendous piece of writing.    

Juliette Akinyi Ochieng, who writes great commentary under the nom de blog Baldilocks, recently took the plunge and published her debut novel.  And what an interesting first swing of the bat Ms. Ochieng takes.

"Tale of The Tigers" is a story of two college kids who fall in love.  It's about race and racism.  It's a time capsule of the early 90's.  It looks at the dynamics of family relationships.  It examines sex and sexuality.  It reassesses sacred cows of the cult of the politically correct.  It makes important statements about friendship, loyalty and trust.

Like her blog writing, Ms. Ochieng's novel is chock full of subtleties.  Her characters could've turned into cardboard cut-outs.  Instead, the folks that inhabit "Tale" are flesh and blood people, full of admirable traits and painful weaknesses.  The outline of the plot never devolves into a cliché romance.  Thankfully, Baldilocks takes the story in unexpected directions.  "Tale" studiously avoids telegraphing it's punches, which makes for an exciting read.                     

Beyond these great things, for me the best part of the book is the fact that the story stays with you long after you've finished it.  You'll find yourself replaying sequences from the book in your mind.  Moreover, you'll catch yourself pondering the book's themes long after you've put it down.                  

In short, "Tale of The Tigers" is a damn fine piece of work from a writer with a powerful voice.  Get in on the ground floor, folks.  Buy the book.  You won't regret it.

Cross-posted at Blog De KingShamus. 

Comments

[Dede Miller - founder Divacafe.net]

It's always nice to hear that someone who dreams gets to see their dream become reality.

[baldilocks]

A wonderful review! I'm glad you enjoyed my work.

[Ruth H]

I read the book and I am waiting for the sequel. That is what it left me with; wanting more. I want to know more about the people, what happened later. That is what a good book should do, leave you wanting to know them better.

[Scott]

I picked it up a couple months or so ago...a good read that hits a little bit closer to home for me, as I'm in the same sort of mixed-race relationship as is portrayed in the book. I would've never guessed that there would still be reason for some people to harbor such animus against such a relationship, but fortunately we've not run up against it ourselves. Whether that's indicative of an improved social climate or just a better group of people that we know is hard to pin down exactly, though I suspect it's more of the latter than the former.

[Dave in dallas]

Ditto, Juliette... Couldn't have written a better review myself... Thanks for the autograph btw... A book i will brag about and recommend.. :-)