Friday, August 26, 2011

Book Review: The Canary List


The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer is intense.  There are definitely some controversial topics tackled within this novel.  I like that Brouwer did not shy away from that.

There is definitely a dark presence of evil within this story and while there is a presence of goodness as well, I wish Brouwer had concentrated more on that aspect.  I would highly recommend reading the Prologue to see if you can handle the rest of the story.  Some of the dark things within this book are child abuse, occult practices, and demon possession.  It is not hard for me to believe or even be aware of many of the dark things in our own society but it can be hard to stomach at times, especially when children are involved.

This story is about a twelve-year old girl, Jaimie, who has bounced around in different foster homes.  Evil is hunting her and she can detect it.  You are thrown into her life - her present, her past and even future.  You are on her journey with her and all those around her.  The madness goes from her home all the way to the Vatican.  I loved that the story was suspenseful and not easily predictable but again it was darker than what I was anticipating.  This is not a flip though book.  They chapters are many and they are short, things happen quickly at a fast pace.


I also felt that there was a slight undertone of anti-Catholicism.  I grew up in the Catholic church as a small girl so this might be my own sensitivity but I wanted to mention it.

In short, Brouwer's novel is well written and suspenseful just not my cup of tea.

Want a sneak peek of this book?  Click here to read an excerpt of The Canary List.

Disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

No comments: