There''s good writing here--it is Sallis, of course--but the book doesn't have a plot and emerges as a series of things that aren't always smoothly connected. The protagonist's story just doesn't ring true to begin with. Abducted at 8 years old, when she is finally taken to the police, she doesn't know her own name or her parents' names or where she lives, etc. When she was found, it would have been nothing for the police--even a few years ago--to match her up with girls who had gone missing. Even putting aside this issue, the story of her involvement with the Vice President isn't realistic either. Not a lot in this book make sense when you boil it down. But there is good writing here--it is Sallis, of course. ( )

Different Kind of Crime

Others of My Kind by James Sallis is an interesting crime novella where for a change we have the victim of crime as our narrator throughout the book carefully guiding us through the book. One of the best things to say about this book is that Sallis does not waste time with fluff sticks to all the relevant information in the story, which in turn reflects our narrator’s brevity

Jenny Rowan who is our narrator reveals that she had been abducted when she was 8 and kept in a box under a bed for a couple of years, and when she managed to escape then live in a Mall before being caught and forced to live in a state facility for mental health patients as they did not know where to locate her. She is a highly intelligent young woman, and wins her freedom at 16 and eventually works her way to become an excellent production editor at a local news station in Washington DC.

One night she is met outside her apartment by a detective who needs her help in reaching out to another victim of abuse similar to that which Jenny had been through. It is hard but Jenny takes Cheryl under her wing and they become roommates. At the same time America is in crisis the White House is under attack and the Vice-President’s son goes missing. Political turmoil all around but life still does on.

This is a wonderful short crime book through the eyes of the victim who has to overcome her past to be able to live in the now and the future. It shows that even if the world is in turmoil we can overcome our past that shapes us and that we should not be prisoners of our past. It is also a mirror of the ‘American Dream’ in that it does not matter where you are from or what your background is you can overcome and reach the highest position available.

This is a great and very enjoyable book well worth reading and great to see something from a victim’s point of view ( )

Others of My Kind – James Sallis

Often when I have seen and enjoyed a film or TV drama that has been adapted from a fictional work I feel compelled to seek out the book and read it. I saw the film Drive but felt no such compulsion; the violence and intimidation of the film weren’t themes I was keen to pursue. So another book by James Sallis didn’t excite me when Real Readers offered it my way.
But this novella by Mr. Sallis has gone some way to modify my first feelings towards him.
I loved the economy of language in this book. There’s no lengthy, flowery, descriptive passages the tale flows along on the surface of the nitty gritty.
In our troubled social times much concession is given to the past or childhood experiences of those with anti social or criminal behaviour as if it can in some way excuse their excesses. What I love about this book is that it suggests that things don’t have to be that way. Quite the reverse; an appalling start in life can engender a caring, positive, purposeful human being who maintains a compassion even for their aggressors.
And there’s nothing more to be said.
Read it. ( )

When I received a review copy of this book as part of the "RealReaders" programme, I was quite intrigued by the blurb on the back - I had heard of James Sallis, and have had "Drive" on my "to-read " pile for quite a while. I should have taken more notice of the word "experimental" in the blurb, though, as that was quite significant.

I was expecting to encounter something along the lines of an Elmore Leonard, with a complex and unfolding plot, with twists and turns along the way, finishing with a surprising and satisfying twist at the end. If that is what you are looking for, this is not the book for you. It is more along the lines of a written example of using negative space, as it is what is not talked about that is important.

It's very difficult to discuss the book without giving spoilers, as so much of the book is dependent on context and filling in the spaces that are left blank. If you don't want to read any spoilers, skip to the next review!

The subject matter of this novella is rather timely coming so soon after the release of the victims in Cleveland, and it seems to be the authors attempt at looking at the effect of abduction on the victims. We are told that the protagonist, Jenny Rowan, is one of the "good people" but we soon learn that she is also a very damaged person. There is an elephant in the room throughout this book, in that we are told very little of what she actually went through, apart from being kept in a box under her abductors bed - it was only after reading the book, and sitting down and thinking about it that I realised that Jenny has only moved through a succession of boxes. She is essentially a very closed off person, trying to please those around her, but keeping herself boxed up to avoid any hurt or damage. She makes a huge effort to trace her parents, but then makes no effort to re-establish any relationship with them. She never digs deeper than the surface with anyone, and never allows them to get too close to her - and much the same happens to the reader. There are also some very strange divergences within the plot - she manages to strike up a friendship with the (Female, black) President... and walks away from it - but the grounds for that friendship are never really established, nor her reasons for walking away. The whole book seems to be a collection of loose ends and divergences, loosely structured around a series of reminiscences that taken as a whole seem not to make much sense.

However... despite the drawbacks, along with the lack of depth and overall superficiality of the book, it's real genius lies in the attempt to show us that the "others of my kind" are all of us, in that we all suffer damage and hurt, yet we all show a face to the world that can be controlled by others. ( )

This is the first James Sallis novel I have read. He writes in what I consider to be a fairly typically American manner, using plenty of acronyms (only one of which gets a translation!) with the prose flowing between paragraphs with little definition in between. Many of the chapters begin with dialogue though this is followed quite promptly with an explanation of who is speaking and the situation – which is a plus!

The story itself seems quite slight with a strangely unemotional take on rather emotive subject matter, although as the book is written in the first person the style obviously reflects the emotions of the protagonist. I believe that this is a book that could stay with the reader because of the way it makes you consider and indeed re-consider your views regarding aspects of human nature and the human psyche.

While I would say this book has in no way become a favourite of mine I do think that it is worth a look, being at the very least a quick read that makes you think!

One thing I would say though; try to refrain from reading the blurb on the back of the book – I feel it gives far too much away! ( )