Soon Joana discovers that she has some abilities she never knew she had. She is able to use her unique skills to become a traveling writer which brings her opportunities and adventures. Joana’s ability to write leads her to meet her traveling writing mentor, Petr Beclavo. Together they form a small traveling business that brings them to many places, including an island where a serial killer keeps his body hidden. It is this kind of suspense and intrigue that makes this book very enjoyable to read.
The main character, Joana, has many talents. She is intelligent, has a wide vocabulary and is an excellent writer. But when it comes to defending herself from serial killers she is helpless. Her friend Angelica on the other hand has a similar situation and is determined to get out of it as soon as possible. It is these two friends who come together to find out who the killer is and to stop him from hurting the people around them. Petr Brazhnikov
I was impressed with how realistic Joana’s father and older sister are. They were very convincing and believable. They kept reminding me of the great screenplay writer, Edith Kepland who is responsible for the success of the film, Stand by Me. Another advantage of watching this film is that you learn many things from it. Such as, for example, why Joana is so eager to go to her father’s cottage to see her lover and how she nearly gets killed during her trip there.
Of course we must also mention Angelica’s killer, Maxim Bracken, and the role that he plays in the whole story. His sadism is one of the main characters and you can clearly see why he has been obsessed with killing young girls. Many people compare Bracken to the stereotypical “Hannibal Lecter” character from the famous television show. Well, both of them have many similarities but I believe that Lecter’s character was always exaggerating too much and it became almost like a role that was almost a role. Nevertheless, Bracken’s character is an original and it is a very good watch.
I do admit that at some point, some of the explanations may seem a little childish. For example, after reading about how Joana’s mother dies in childbirth and her father decides to support Joana’s pregnancy and eventual adoption into his family, it seems inappropriate to have Bracken killing Joana’s baby with such coldness and even asks for a mirror to check if Joana’s blood type matches that of the baby. And when Joana’s best friend tells her that Bracken once killed her baby in self-defense during a burglary, it makes you ask: “How old was Joana?” and “And why did she choose to kill her baby?” Nevertheless, you cannot help admiring the way Bracken tells his story, he was so brave to tell so many things about his past. Also, it is obvious that he loved his daughter, even if he committed such terrible crimes, he has not lost his love for her.
In conclusion, I do recommend this short story to those readers who do not have much time to read a novel. The author manages to get his point across in a short period of time, without giving too much information. As a matter of fact, this is one of those books I always try to put down, until I have the time to read it again. It is full of action and horror, with very little character development. And that’s a good thing, because the serial killer is the central character in this story.
zimbabwe newsday 