Book Nook Club: The Woodsman's Daughter by Gwyn Hyman Rubio

August 23, 2009

The Woodsman's Daughter by Gwyn Hyman Rubio

I didn't like this writer's hugely successful debut novel, Icy Sparks. But I admit that I didn't like it because Rubio fell victim to that device so many writers abuse: ridiculous nomenclature. Let's see. I want my book to really stand out, but I'm afraid I'm just not that great at character development. So I'll give my characters some really yooneek names that will make them stand out. Then maybe no one will notice my shortcomings. What does that sign say up ahead? Watch for Falling Rock? Awesome! Has a sort of Native American feel and poetic depth to boot. Falling Rock it is! "Falling Rock was raised on a small farm. Her favorite pastimes were..."

In Icy Sparks, the name was distracting and took away from the overall message of the book, which was to create awareness of the commonality and struggles of Tourette's Syndrome. So when I saw The Woodsman's Daughter, I decided to give Rubio another chance.

I couldn't read further than the first chapter. The dialog was forced and unnatural. The descriptions were vomit inducing, literally. Her characters are always dribbling saliva or getting food smeared on their faces or clothes and just letting it sit there and congeal. The familial relationships are totally inappropriate and just strange, they get angry very suddenly for no reason, and you can't tell from one moment to the next if person A likes person B or hates their guts. It seems like Rubio wanted to make certain issues apparent at the expense of others, leaving the reader completely confused. Maybe there's an explanation for this, but one is not apparent. Either these characters too suffer from Tourette's Syndrome, or they simply blurt out things entirely out of context just to fill space. I really don't know. But I just couldn't stand to read another page.