Esther Ann Hicks--Essie--is the youngest child on Six for Hicks,a reality television phenomenon. She's grown up in the spotlight, both idolized and despised for her family's fire-and-brimstone brand of faith. When Essie's mother, Celia, discovers that Essie is pregnant, she arranges an emergency meeting with the show's producers: Do they sneak Essie out of the country for an abortion? Do they pass the child off as Celia's? Or do they try to arrange a marriage--and a ratings-blockbuster wedding? Meanwhile, Essie is quietly pairing herself up with Roarke Richards, a senior at her school with a secret of his own to protect. As the newly formed couple attempt to sell their fabricated love story to the media--through exclusive interviews with an infamously conservative reporter named Liberty Bell--Essie finds she has questions of her own: What was the real reason for her older sister leaving home? Who can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freedom? (Summary and pic from goodreads.com)
My Review: I think the cover of this book actually does a really
good job of summing up what the book is like. I’m assuming that you’re looking
at the pic of this cover as you’re reading this review, but what you can’t see is
that yes, there’s that fundamentalist-looking girl, but the writing of the
title is written in this cheesy, sparkly, pop-culture font. It’s the absolute dichotomy.
Like I said, it’s a really clever and subtle way to pretty much sum it all up.
I think we can all agree that although there is some
reality TV that is fun and entertaining (and we all have our faves, even though
some of it is borderline “reality,”) some is downright disturbing. The Book of Essie is basically an over-exaggeration
of reality TV and the plugged-in generation of people who want to watch other
people’s lives, no matter how real or not real that TV may be.
This book is written with a subtle exaggeration in that
you can tell it’s all a little over the top, but that it’s that way for a reason.
The situations are just a little too much, the characters are just a little too
smart or things work out just a little too well, but in the end this is
obviously for a reason. Now don’t get me wrong, despite the over-the-top nature
of much of the book, it is still very disturbing. We’ve all read about and experienced
reality people or fame-seeking people who are willing to do pretty much
anything to be famous, and this family, especially the mom, has paid every
price. It feels even a little ickier because the father is a TV preacher, and
although I don’t think anyone considers those dudes to be the epitome of humility,
it still feels weird to have all of the deception and lies and blatant
disregard for their children all be done in the name of religion. However, this
is another part of the book that seems very apropos to the current climate.
The situations in this book can’t help but be
heartbreaking. You can see it coming from a mile away, and it is no surprise
when the actual reveal comes about, although it is still really tragic. The
author obviously had some messages she wanted to get across, and although she
was able to do that, I would have liked the characters and situations fleshed out
more. There were some really great moments of suspense and bravery, but there
was also a fair amount of just day-to-day waiting that didn’t go anywhere
specific. I think the tragedy could have been more explored in this space
(because the book is a decent length as it is) and also the resolution a little
more fleshed out. However, the author wanted readers to be disturbed and
challenge the culture of media, reality culture, and social media, and I assure
you it did just this.
My Rating: 3.5
stars
For the sensitive
reader: There is some language as well as sex and incest.
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