Joy by Jonathan Lee (From Worcester News)

Joy by Jonathan Lee

10:30am Saturday 7th July 2012 in Books

JOY by Jonathan Lee is published in hardback by William Heinemann, priced £12.99. Available now.

Joy has just fallen two storeys in to the lobby of her law firm during the presentation of her promotion. She had every reason to live, but also every reason to want to die.

As a reader you're thrust into the role of a psychiatrist, tasked with questioning the first people on the scene, including her husband (a bumbling Hugh Grant type), and a workmate she's been sleeping with.

The purpose of these discussions is to try to understand whether Joy had reason to be suicidal.

This diegetic interview style is initially intriguing, however it becomes unrealistic and unbelievable, with characters talking in constant metaphors. They seem to waffle off topic at an alarming rate and string sentences together that sometimes take up whole pages, making it an exhausting read.

Jonathan Lee clearly has a good grasp of storytelling, but the story at the centre of this book just isn't that riveting.
6/10
(Review by Wayne Walls)