Review: The Glimpse by Claire Merle

I was confused when I first read it. I’m still confused now that I’ve finished it. The Glimpse is a very different take on dystopian genre. Sanity has never been deeply questioned, and people in dystopian worlds usually struggle with physical enemy like war, famine, or lack of natural resources. The Glimpse shows a frightening possibility of economic collapse and how government discriminates people by their DNA tests. I have to say that the idea is very original and it held such amazing premise.

However, there are parts in this book that bugged me. I didn’t understand the world. I had to restart reading it after forty pages because I couldn’t understand the story. Is it just me or the dialogues are really complicated? Sometimes I just hope that the characters would say the reason or fact out loud so I could understand what they mean. The answers in this book are implied, not stated. Sometimes I like it, but most of the time, I was simply lost.

With all the adventures and troubles Ana faced, I should have felt some kind of connection toward her. However, I wasn’t deeply emotionally invested with her. I know she’s smart, but most of the time she has a knack of not thinking ahead. Ana was instantly drawn to Cole, the main interest of this story, and I found their instant romance hard to believe. Maybe they’re meant to be, just like ‘the glimpse’, some sort of prophecy that Cole had seen in his dream, showed. However, I think the time is too short for Ana to hopelessly fall in love with Cole. I also think it very strange that the title of this book is ‘The Glimpse’, since in my opinion we are given very little information about the glimpse. It wouldn’t hurt if Jasper could have a bigger part in this book too.

I usually avoid books which involve mental institution since I always feel sorry for the patients. The mental institution in this book is horrible. I hate the absurd, crazy, and ridiculous treatment they give to the patients. The doctors and nurses are supposed to help, not making the patients worse. It’s impossible to lead a normal life after you’ve experienced living there, just like Ana discovered later.

For me, The Glimpse is a take it-or-leave it book. I like it but there are some flaws I just can’t ignore. If you’re interested in psychology, then you may want to give this book a go. I like reading Ana’s deep thinking, and she’s certainly a very interesting character to watch!

She wondered if what she was doing proved more than any suicidal mother or DNA tests that she belonged among the Crazies. The deceit, the danger, her curiosity – surely a normal Pure girl would be running for her life right now? But Ana was still there. Because, beneath her determination to help Jasper, there was also the fact that she’d been waiting years to take control of her future. Because like a wooden puppet in a fairy tale, when she’d ventured into the City, the strange, dark place had brought her to life.
 

 Website * Goodreads * Amazon * Book Depository

 

I rate this book:
                                   Three cups of tea. I like it.  Recommended to read in spare time.