The Jealous Writer's Book Review: The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

 

Full disclosure: I bought this book by accident. One of the members of my writing group was trying to recommend The Clockwork Dark series by John Claude Bemis, but because I only remembered the word "clockwork," I picked up this book instead. So it goes.

Because of this little mistaken identity incident, I literally had no expectations for this book. Not in a negative way, but it's hard to be preemptively jealous of something you didn't mean to read in the first place. My jealousy would develop or not develop on the merits of the book alone. YOUR MOVE, BOOK!

The book rose to the challenge from the very first words on the page. First lines are a big deal in books these days. You have two seconds to bait a reader, and this book has an enticing hook:

When Giuseppe found the green violin, he did not think it would help him escape.

ALRIGHT, BOOK. YOU GOT ME. How could I not keep reading? Giuseppe is adorable. He's the Italian version of Jack from Newsies. But instead of selling newspapers, Giuseppe is a busker who plays his violin to try and earn enough money to pay off the unscrupulous people who took him from Italy to America and get back home to his little brother. When he plays the green violin, he makes more money than he ever has before. Here's the end of the first chapter:

But then he thought about home, of chasing his brother through the sheep pastures, and Giuseppe stayed where he was. If he let himself, he would use a little of that money every night, and soon it would be gone. He refused to let himself do that, or he would never earn enough for the boat ticket. It was enough that he had the green violin. 

He went inside.

WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME CRY, BOOK? But seriously. This was probably the best first chapter I've ever read. It drew me in with a sympathetic character, an amazing setting, and a compelling story. I wanted to reach into my Kindle, pull Giuseppe out of that horrible place, smother him with hugs, and then stuff him full of pasta (but not in a creepy way). Writing lesson: The first chapter really does matter.

And then...we switched narrators. And then...we switched them again. This book has three narrators: Giuseppe, Frederick, and Hannah. The rest of the story is told through these alternating points of view. Unfortunately, I didn't personally find Frederick or Hannah to be as compelling as my beloved little Giuseppe. Each character had a clearly defined goal, and I admired the author's skill in weaving the three stories together, but, for me, Giuseppe's story remained the strongest. I was racing through two intervening chapters to get back to him.

The rest of the book was filled with plenty of twists and turns. Often, it seemed to veer into a different genre on a whim. There's a little magic, a little steampunk, a little industrial revolution, and a lot more Newsies-type exploitation of children. But despite the occasional meandering moments, it was a well-written, enjoyable read. It's the sort of book that makes you hate the author just a little bit because he's so imaginative and talented in ways that you will never be (or maybe that's just me). DAMN YOU, BOOK. YOU WERE VERY GOOD.

But at the end of it all, the biggest takeaway for me as a writer was still the amazing first chapter. If you're looking for a book that clearly demonstrates how to establish a likeable character with clear goals and obstacles, this is a good one to check out. And for that reason alone, it inspires much jealousy in my bitter heart.

Apparently, I'm not the only one. I will leave you with this review from Mikel Andrews on Amazon:

As a writer, I'm wildly jealous of Kirby's voice and complete mastery of storytelling. It's a perfect novel. For any age. Truly magical.

In Summation

Did I like it? Yes, especially my beloved bambino, Giuseppe
Would I recommend it? Yes
Did it make me jealous? Of course