The Conspiracy Kid: A Book Review

I received this book for review a short while ago and couldn’t wait to read it!  Unfortunately, school and the end of another college semester kept getting in the way (typical school…blah), but now that I am on Winter Break, the first thing I did was sit down and devour this book!  I really enjoyed this read as it was a great change of pace and unlike anything else I have read!

Title: The Conspiracy Kid

Author: E.P. Rose

Genre: Literary Fiction, Adult

Publisher: Table Thirteen Books

Publication Date: September 12, 2013

Pages: 290

Out in Paperback?: Yes

Goodreads

Amazon

My Rating: 4/5

Review:

Goodreads Summary:

A sonnet is penned and, lo, the Conspiracy Kid Fan Club is born. Beware. To read this sonnet is to join the Club. Membership is automatic and irreversible.

This is the story of the earliest unwitting Conspiracy Kid Fan Club members: Edwin Mars (poet), Joe Claude (billionaire), Walter Cornelius (werewolf), Muriel Cohen (chef),

to name but a few.

Or, as Edwin Mars, being a poet, puts it:

“This is the story of Joe Claude and me,

And of my son and the sisters he loved,

And of their father, how he came to be

In a graveyard - naked and uni-gloved;

Hamburgers, hurricanes, murder and string,

Werewolves and waiters and barmen and cooks,

From Maine to Biloxi, Mayfair to Pring,

Furniture, ketamine, golfing and books;

Marriages made and broken and mended

Under the shadow of loved ones who died.

See how the grieving billionaire ended

Up in that prison where laughter’s proscribed.

Will he be rescued then? Read and find out

What The Conspiracy Kid’s all about.”

Characters:

Although there are many different characters throughout the story, Rose does an excellent job of developing each one of them, which in turn helps the reader distinguish each character in the beginning.  The main characters include Edwin Mars, a struggling poet whose poem acts to carry the story along, Richard, Edwin’s son who is in love with a woman bound for America, Joe Claude, a billionaire with a difficult marriage, and Muriel Cohen, a chef who dreams of opening a restaurant.  Each character is interesting to read about, with realistic and unique storylines. 

Plot:

The novel begins with the sonnet authored by Edwin Mars, regarding the Conspiracy Kid Fan Club.  It is said that once you read this poem, you are automatically a member of the club.  Keep in mind that this sonnet is simply a means of gathering these wonderful characters together.  Although this book is difficult to sum up (especially in a few short sentences), the novel discusses the lives of these characters, showing how they develop through love, travel, following their dreams, and falling apart, seeking and sometimes discovering just what they needed to.  This novel is divided into three sections: fan club, hamburger, and string.  Each defines the characters and brings them closer together.

Writing Style:

Aside from the characters and their development, I really enjoyed the writing style of Rose.  I love the fact that in the beginning all the characters seemed so independent of one another, and then Rose elegantly weaves and connects these characters together in unique and interesting ways.  One of my favorite things is when authors write from changing perspectives (such as in My Sister’s Keeper – each chapter is in a different perspective).  However, Rose did something really different that I have never read before but really loved!  He seamlessly changed perspectives during chapters through the use of a telephone call, for example.  The reader enters the phone call from one character’s point of view, and then before you know it, you are developing the storyline for the character on the other end.  I really enjoyed this aspect of the novel, as it kept things moving at a good pace!

Have you read this book?  How about anything else by EP Rose?  He is definitely a talented author, and I can’t wait to check out more by him!  His next novel November sounds really interesting and comes out in 2014!

FTC Disclaimer:

This item was sent to me for review by Chantal Cooke at Panpathic Communications. This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliate links were used.