A Confusing Swamp Story

 Chime

You know those stories where the narrator constantly refers to something that you have no idea what it is? And then you don’t figure out until the end what exactly it is? Well Chime by Franny Billingsley is one of those stories. The main character Briony constantly says “I’m a bad person, I’m a bad person” and while you get hints and clues of why she is, you don’t really get the complete story until the end of the book. And it’s a little annoying. Briony herself is a little annoying, but we’ll get to that later. Now I’m sure you’re wondering what exactly this book is about.

Chime is about a girl, Briony (obviously) who has this huge secret she has to keep. She’s a witch. And she thinks that this being a witch is what caused her twin sister Rose to go crazy. After their Stepmother’s death, things get kind of difficult. Eldric, a boy who moves into their house with his father, also makes Briony’s task more difficult. His father’s plan to drain the swamp of all it’s water has made the Old Ones (creatures that haunt the swamp) go crazy, creating a plague that has effected all the children of Swampsea. It’s now up to Briony to do something to save the people of Swampsea. And it may cost her her life.

Yes, this book sounds very exciting, a page turner. And don’t get me wrong, it is. But it’s so confusing most of the time. In my opinion, Briony isn’t a very good narrator because she doesn’t give you the whole story. She’s just like woah is me, my life is bad, I’m a bad person, blah, blah, blah. I get it, your life was difficult. Just get on with the story please! The events don’t all come together until the end. The end of the story is great. I really liked that part because stuff finally made sense. And Briony had stopped complaining for the most part. So first part of the book, annoying and confusing. Last part of the book, exciting and a lot less confusing. Overall, I’d say that this is a pretty good book.

What am I reading next? Lord of the Flies by William Golding.