Steeplejack

DNF - PG 49

Why?

I will admit, right from the first couple pages, I was struggling. I like books that draw me in quickly. This one had a handful plus pages before any dialogue happened that was all focused on how, exactly, Ang was climbing a chimney. For me, that is not interesting/exciting/curious in the slightest.

However, it wasn't until I was introduced to the lovely Lani (of what race our Ang is) custom and culture of ‘three daughters per family.' If you have any more than that...well, they used to be slaughtered after birth - but those blasted whites didn't like it, had a problem with murdering babes - who would've thought? - so they ‘don't do that anymore.' Of course, there's still some infant deaths that no one looks too closely at, but instead they're, usually, shipped to the orphanage where they'll learn to be servants. Nice setup, here. (The first daughter is a blessing, the second a trial and the third a curse. All daughters are good for is to marry them off young. Ang is seventeen and gets told that she should be popping out babies.)

And then:

‘Then I was aware of the way his hand strayed to his belt buckle and knew, with horrified certainty, that this was not the prelude to a beating. This was something else.

I was and was not surprised. A part of me had known it was coming, had seen the way he watched me.'

...

If you don't see anything wrong with the quick lesson in Lani culture or that excerpt from the book, there's nothing I can say. Me? I'm done.