Jay Fingers

Brilliant debut novel about the ups and downs of club life in New York City. The author is clearly familiar with both sides of the velvet rope, and brought me into a world that I have never seen. The characters were drawn well (totally hated Ava!!) and the settings were authentic, using actual locations in the boroughs for a touch of reality.

Debut novels can be tricky things, filled with awkward sentences and poor grammar, heinous character development and poor plot exposition; but "Guestlist" has none of this. Jay Fingers' writing style flows well and is easy to read, and it's simple to follow the action. Character dialogue is appropriate, and made me feel as if I were sitting alongside Juliet or Swann as they got caught up in things larger than themselves. (I especially liked The Alcoholic's words of wisdom, funny as hell.)

The plot also had some surprising twists, that made me go WTF?!? and keep on reading quickly, to see what happens next. I truly felt for the characters and what was happening to them, and to me that is a mark of a good book. If I'm reading about someone and don't really care what happens, that is a sign that I'm not caught up in the reading experience. From Napoleon, to Mare, to the various ballers and wanna be's on the periphery, these people were written credibly, almost like a roman a clef, as I was wondering who the author was REALLY describing.

Run, don't walk to buy this book. I can't wait for the next offering from this intelligent and funny author.… (meer)

I'm on a bit of a 4* roll with Giveaways, which in my book is pretty good going given the random nature of the wins and variety of genres. With each one that comes along I am steeled for a disappointment but Jay Fingers' Orange Mound was not to be the one to let me down.

Orange Mound put me in mind of Alex Wheatle's London based East of Acre Lane.
Fingers presents us with a believable urban setting, a cast of characters which even to a mid 50s white Englishman reader is quite easy to relate and warm to, or be terrified of.
The story takes place almost exclusively in a black American environment, and whilst there is hideous racism in the form of the police activity, there is plenty enough of viciousness within the Orange Mound community. There is also a lot of humour and warmth in the dialogue, romance, and those spare sex scenes which exist will not be competing for any literary bad sex award.
This is a novel which whilst easy and enjoyable to read carries serious messages.
The book opens with a subtly sinister scene, then gives us a drug bust straight out of familiar movies, before settling into a rhythmical groove of nicely paced dialogue. All the while though Fingers is keeping the tension beneath the surface and you start to feel the futility of the lives of these young people caught up in a cycle of ambition, drugs, petty crime, easy money, and a dog eat dog hierarchy of ruthless control secured by temptation, drugs and violence. To say more would be to give spoilers but what I took from the book was the futility of trying to break from the web once you have already succumbed to the temptation of easy money and debt, and ambition for a cars and parties lifestyle, as if all that show, all that bling and bravado is so much propaganda to lure the next line of foot soldiers to shore up the pyramid.

I found a number of typo errors in my copy of the book which I mention not because they spoiled the reading but to hope for a better proof read of any future editions of Orange Mound, and of any sequels which I would eagerly look forward to.

Thanks Jay Fingers and Goodreads Giveaways for the opportunity to read this terrific book which does not outstay its welcome.… (meer)