Book Review: Broken News

Title: Broken News

Author: Emily Stroud

Genre: Fiction

Review:

I have such mixed feelings for this book. I guess mostly because this book wasn't what I expected (I don't mean this in a bad way or a good way...it was simply different.)  Although it is told from a third person POV, the story is told from so many characters' POV that I almost felt like I was reading a very long anthology.  Alright, so I guess the best way I can present this review is to break it into three main parts: writing, character and plot.

So, first of all, the writing was very fluid. It flowed nicely and there weren't any awkward patches. It does take some time to get used to all the reporter jargon tossed around though, despite the fact Stroud does explain what each abbreviation means.  The scenes were wonderfully written--you can really picture what is going on.  The sense of urgency in the newsroom and among the crew is well depicted with short sentences that are right to the point. The chapters are extremely short. There are 100 chapters in this 190 page book. Like I said before, this adds to the "rush rush rush" atmosphere, which is quite well suited for this book.

The characters...oh my. There are so many of them! There's Daria, Peter, Jenny (aka Slash), Alannah, Tony, Quame and Doppler David just to name a few. And yes, each character contributes to the story by having chapters told from their POV. Most of the chapters are told from Alannah and Jenny's POV, so I felt like I could connect to them the best. As for the other characters, it was harder to form a lasting bond with them since the chapters bounce from one character to another oh so quickly. Slash is probably my favorite character since she's so flexible and has her priority straight. Alannah appears in the spotlight a lot as well; I would've liked her a lot more if she was less concerned about her appearance. But hey--maintaining her looks is crucial if she wants to keep her job in front of the cameras. I have to give kudos to the author for giving each character his/her own distinct traits. Ie. Jenny is the go-with-the-flow fitness chick, Daria is the all-about-me but naive reporter, Quame is the shy but priceless editor, etc.

The only thing that really dragged things down, in my opinion, was the plot (or lack of it.) While reading Broken News, I felt like I was basically following around the lives of all those reporters. Also, many of the scenes were devoted to the reporters job(s), which can seem just a bit repetitive after a while. I mean, yes, the characters did face struggle as budgets are cut and employees are laid off, but other than that, it was basically observing the daily life of Peter, Jenny, Tony, etc. If there had been a more solid plot line, I definitely would've rated this 4 stars!

I recommend this book if you're into anthologies or would like to learn what the reporting world is really like (the author works at several TV stations herself.)

Rating: