Ojisan Zanoni

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Ojisan Zanoni

Category:	Fiction
Author:	Michael C. Willey
Publisher:	Matador
Price:	£7.99
ISBN:	1-905237-48-0
Pages:	144
Reviewed in issue:	2

This short novel is a compilation of strange experiences that befall Christopher and Ayami when they come into contact with the mysterious Zanoni. The novel touches on subject areas such as foreign travel, magic, new ageism and environmental issues, and has all the ingredients for an intriguing storyline.

However, a number of key things let it down. The writing style and tone is longwinded and garrulous, with clunky sentences and too much padding between the main events. Ideally the services of a professional editor could have helped remove superfluous words and give the story a snappier pace.

Another flaw is plot development. Two major parts of the novel – the visit to Monsieur Mejnour’s French chateaux and the impact of Zanoni’s music in Ireland – are not explored adequately. I expected right up to the last page to hear Zanoni explain the phenomena, but this did not happen.

Also, I could not distinguish between the ‘voices’ of Christopher or Ayami, they both sounded similar. Overall, I felt the main players were one-dimensional. Character development was desperately needed so that the reader could identify, empathise and care about the people featured in the novel.

In addition the book has been oddly typeset, though the front cover is professionally designed and it has been printed on good quality paper with strong binding.

In conclusion, this book reads like a first draft that needs editing and plot and character development to make it into a well written piece.

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