The great thing about reviewing books is
that you get sent a lot of books-for free! But then there are also times when
you get sent a book you think you wouldn't enjoy. This is exactly
what happened with me when I received a copy of The Clockwork Man by
William Jablonsky for review. The book falls into the science fiction genre,
a genre I've never really been a fan of and hence my initial apprehension. But
a few pages into the book and I realized I couldn't have been
more wrong by judging a book solely on the genre it falls into (I'm
gradually learning not to take categories books are slotted into seriously).
The Clockwork Man by William Jablonsky is
essentially the story of Ernst, a man made entirely out of clockwork, by master
clockmaker Gruber in Germany
in the late 19th century. Ernst lives and serves Gruber and his two
young children and even though he’s made out of clockwork, Ernst is more than
just an ordinary automaton and is educated by Gruber to be a gentle and caring
soul. Considered a marvel of the 19th century, Ernst soon earns
himself a host of admirers, many of them being heads of state and foreign
dignitaries. The book is in the form of journal entries by Ernst and we soon
learn that Ernst has developed a deep love for Gruber’s beautiful young
daughter Giselle, and just as their relationship beings to get intimate a tragic
incident takes place and the family is torn apart. Ernst is now abandoned and
because he knows no other life, he winds himself down in a kind of suicide. A
hundred years later, Ernst wakes up in a strange land, with the world and life
he has known long lost. Ernst soon finds himself in the company of a slightly
eccentric, yet well meaning homeless man Greeley, with whom he spends time
living and hiding on the streets of an unfamiliar city, still haunted by the
century old tragedy that refuses to let him go.
The Clockwork Man is a layered and gripping tale of
love, loyalty and human emotions and even thought it centres on a clockwork
man, it is essentially a human story. The narrative is deep and leads you on
consistently, drawing you in so powerfully that you will forget you’re reading
fiction and will begin to believe that Ernst really exists, wishing he really
exists.
My involvement with Ernst and his tale was so
intense that I felt an immense sense of sadness when I turned over the last
page and would like to applaud Jablonsky for his effortless way with words and
this exemplary portrayal of human relationships that will stay with me for a
long time.
(This is a book review requested by the publisher)
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