Jan Reimer readers reluctantly vote Burn Baby Burn through!

Burn Baby Burn vs. The Smell of Other People’s Houses

I began this round with the audio version of The Smell of Other People’s Houses.

I anticipated an interesting read but was sadly disappointed with the contrast of characters. I often find that when a story switches perspectives, I am unable to connect with any character and as my previous blogs allude to, I read for the connection to the characters! I find that the believability of the protagonist will keep me reading and evoke sympathy for their struggle. This time I was sadly disappointed as the various stories entangled but did not feel complete for any of the characters. Perhaps when dealing with too many characters, authors neglect the opportunity to  fully develop any of them and hence my buy in suffers.

I also felt that the stories were somewhat too cliche and stereotypical of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people - pregnant teen, alcoholic/ abusive father, run away teens. Perhaps I’m just tired of YA Novels that exploit these issues, albeit they are realistic and matter!  The Smell of Other People’s Houses wasn’t a favorite for team Jan Reimer!

I was excited to begin reading Burn Baby Burn and found myself engaged. As I read I wanted to see how Nora’s character would transform. How would she handle her family hardships? Nora’s struggle to overcome her circumstances certainly drives the narrative but the more I read, the more I became interested in the other characters. What would happen to Hector? Would Nora’s father actually step up and become a parent? Would Kathleen remain a trusted friend? How would the Son of Sam be intertwined into the story? These questions kept me reading (sometimes more out of obligation than enjoyment, though). I did like this book but not in the way that I’ve heard others talk about it.