Review: Olivia

Synopsis

Olivia Hanson has spent most of her twenty-five years staring wistfully across the tracks to the north side of town, longing for a white picket fence and normal—something she’s never known. Born in a prison and abandoned by her mother, Olivia was raised in South Juliette by her father, Eugene—a knee-bouncing, chain-smoking loner with a Cheeze Doodle addiction. Olivia drinks too much, loses her heart too easily, and works in a factory as quality control, a mundane job she’d sworn would only be temporary, not the permanent drudgery it has become. Her only joy in life comes in the form of late-night slow dances with hot bartender, George, who can set her body on fire with his kisses but is unwilling to go any further.

The day Olivia accidentally backs her Buick into a black Dodge pickup, she tumbles head-over-heels into what she believes is the happily-ever-after kind of love she has been longing for. But the road to happiness is not as easy as it looks. It’s a long, winding journey of self-discovery full of potholes, pregnancy tests, lobster tattoos, Walmart scooters, impromptu weddings, hump-happy Boston terriers, and a sexy, but oh-so-annoying police officer who pops up around every curve.

Review
This book is badly edited, chaotic and at times confusing. So why was I captivated till the end?  The quick answer is simply that there's something about Olivia. The longer answer lies somewhere witty dialogue and authenticity  Olivia lives on the wrong part of time, drinks too much, loves too quickly and works in a dead end job. Many books have presided on such facts. Many books have the damsel in distress wanting prince charming to carry her off into the sunset. This is not one of those books. Firstly the guy she thinks will save her ends up abusing her emotionally as well physically. Her charming prince is a devil in disguise. What makes this book unique is perhaps the fact the Olivia is not your typical damsel in distress.

Olivia is a great character, full of life, brave however she is also very childlike. Her thoughts are erratic and confusing. I wanted to hold her and drag onto the right path. I enjoyed her adventures, her self-discovery, her need for human contact. She reminded me of a lost child, abused yet she still wanted to live and enjoy life.  Her father Eugene is probably the best characters in the book, he's the silent type. He enjoys solitude. He's the complete opposite of Olivia but they work so well. Their relationship was the highlight of the book, a promise of unconditional love between a parent and a child. However I wasn't a big fan of George mainly because I didn't understand him. I was very uncomfortable with his relationship with Olivia and at times it was verging on abusive. He thought he toyed with her, disguised his own selfish needs with something similar to love. But my misgivings in regards to George could have been because there was a distinct lack of characterization.

Mitch for example is a cartoon character, one who isn't given any background. He's the villain  the guy who ruins someone's life. The first time he abuses Olivia, I felt like the scene was very rushed. Furthermore the concept of being born in prison should have been discussed more and developed further. I would have loved to learn about her mother and her history and how she came to fall in love with shy retiring guy like Eugene. She's painted as the devil's incarnate yet I felt like there was story that needed to told.

I would read books by this author again because she has potential. With good editing she really could be great.