With Regrets by Lee Kelly
We had a play in our English textbook that really intrigued me. We later went on to enact the play in a cultural program in my apartment complex (this latter part did not go so well because it was a dialogue-heavy play, and not that many people had the patience to try and parse through the dialogues in such an open space, we stuck to dances the next few years). It was called ‘The Broadcast’ – I do not remember anything more about the author or where it originally was from. It was a contained scene with a bunch of kids who are told that something has happened and they are not to leave the room they are in. What ensues is chaos and reveals the true nature as the situation demands it. This book reminded me very strongly of the same kind of scenario with a few significant differences that I will not reveal in order to not spoil either plot. Things are not fine in the host home that is hosting a high-end party. We are not given an inside look at all the character’s thoughts, just enough to keep things interesting as we see things from different perspectives. As the uncomfortable dinner struggles along, things outside start to get complicated. There is an outbreak of sorts, and things are going literally haywire. Everyone has a different outlook on what they must do and what takes precedence. I like books with character juxtapositions involving different situations, how we think people will react and how things actually turn out. This story was, therefore, one I enjoyed (even though it is not an appropriate word given the trauma the characters end up going through). Alliances are made and broken, and there is a finality to everything. Not everything is explained by the time the book comes to a close, but the people are all dealt with, which is more in keeping with the tone of the rest of the book. I would recommend this to fans of the drama/people-watching genre who do not mind a bit of Sci-fi in the background that never actually takes the forefront. I would like to try more books by the author. I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
