Bellman & Black

I received an advance copy this book in a GoodReads FirstReads giveaway.

Dora glitters, serenely exultant. It is what a rooking escapade does to a human. She looks as if she has gathered all the glory of the world into herself. To see it once is never to be without the feeling for the rest of your life.

I honestly did not have high hopes for Bellman & Black. Like The Thirteenth Tale, there were things that I liked and did not like about the story. But overall, I enjoyed it more than The Thirteenth Tale, perhaps because it is not all extremely sad.

The story starts with Will Bellman killing a rook with a slingshot, an act that he did not realize would have profound impact on his life. Then it skips to when he is grown and starts working at his uncle's mill. He is a carefree and genuinely happy guy, the kind that everyone likes. He meets a woman that he falls in love with, has beautiful children that he loves, and it seems like everything in his life is perfect. Then, things start going wrong... and the mysterious Black starts randomly appearing.

Bellman can't shake Black and begins to live his life as a busy workaholic so that he does not have to remember and grieve his misfortune. He becomes a boring and sad character. In the end, it seems that he had no redemption, except possibly through his daughter, Dora.

Dora in herself is a very interesting character. I enjoyed reading her parts and would have really enjoyed the story if there had been more development for her. The part of the book where Bellman is developing and building Bellman & Black is rather boring and almost made me give up reading. I continued on solely because the chapters are short and the read is actually rather quick. I'm glad that I didn't give up.

This story is rich in symbolism and irony, and there are cut-in chapters from the view of the rook. They connected nicely and didn't seem forced. The ending, especially, had a magical quality that left you wondering what really happened to Bellman, who Black really was, and what would happen to Dora. But it was filled with hope for Dora and for the rooks. I'm a sucker for endings that seep with symbolism.

Maybe that makes me a nerd, but I really enjoyed this book, mostly for its extremely gothic undertones and symbolism. I would recommend it to people who are also suckers for books soaked in literary irony.

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