Book Review - The Sound of Broken Ribs

Title: The Sound of Broken Ribs
Author: Edward Lorn
Genre: Horror
Publisher: CreateSpace - Copyright 2018 Lornographic Material
Review Copy Source: Purchased via Amazon.com
Read: March 3-5, 2018
Disclaimer: I purchased the copy of this book that is reviewed here and have received no compensation from the author or publisher. All opinions are my own.

Review: I learned of Edward Lorn's The Sound of Broken Ribs through Instagram. I saw the cover in someone's post and was intrigued by it as well as the title. Since I'm a fan of the horror genre, I decided to look it up and found it listed on Amazon with the following description:

"Lei Duncan has it all: the ideal life, the perfect career, a loving husband. What more could someone ask for? It is with this in mind that Lei takes her morning run. Belinda Walsh has lost it all: her home, her husband, her mind. She thought she knew Dan, but one phone call changed all that. Now everything she’s known to be true is a lie. It is with this in mind that she goes looking for something—or someone—to destroy. When the lives of two strangers intersect, something will be born of the connection. For one of these two souls, the truth of the world will shift and morph into something powerful and dangerous. A darkness of the mind, a tear in sanity. And something will peek through that darkness, beckoned by the sound of broken ribs."

Based on the cover and description, I decided to give the book a try and ordered it. I received it a few days later and eagerly dove into its pages. What I found left me...confused.

The concept of the book is good but familiar. Character A has everything. Character B loses everything. Their paths cross. Mayhem abounds. Lorn offered a twist that kept me interested just enough to read the entire book, and that twist is the personification of Pain. As someone who is intimately familiar with the pain of broken bones, I was interested to see where Lorn would take this personification. Sadly, the potential I saw didn't pay out in the end.

Overall, I'm conflicted by Lorn's book. I had no connection to the characters so I didn't feel as though they were in jeopardy. Honestly, I didn't care of any of them lived or died, and this was one of my main issues with this book. Lei Duncan is the protagonist, if there can be a clear cut protagonist-antagonist relationship here, but I know nothing about her other than she's a writer with a supportive husband and an obsession for running. Beyond this, Lei Duncan is a mystery. That mystery made for a lack of empathy for her. Yes, she finds herself in dire circumstances. Yes, I had a moment of "Wow, that sucks." However, I felt no compulsion to cheer for her, to urge her forward in her story. She was a flat character.

The same can be said of the antagonist, Belinda Walsh. She, too, finds herself in dire circumstances with a crappy husband and insane brother, and that's all I really know of her. So she's as flat and one-dimensional as Lei Duncan. Beyond a "It sucks to be you" moment, I couldn't find empathy for her either. As a reader, I want to identify with characters in some way. If it's the protagonist, I want to urge them forward. If it's the antagonist, I want to root for their downfall, or at least understand why they've gone down their dark path. None of this is provided by Lorn for either of these characters.

Another concern was the overall writing itself. I want to be shown a story, not told a story. I want to sink into a character's point of view so I can imagine being that character. Lorn's writing kept me at arm's length. For example, the opening paragraph of The Sound of Broken Ribs is two sentences:

"In forty-five minutes, she'd be fighting for her life. But, for now, Lei Duncan was typing The End."

Don't tell me she's going to be fighting for her life, show me that fight. Show me Lei Duncan propelled fifty feet in the air when a car smashes into her. Make me feel the car's impact, the sense of weightlessness, and the impact of hitting the ground. Make me feel bones breaking. Make me feel like what it's like to cling to life by the broken tips of once perfectly manicured fingernails. Make me feel as though Lei Duncan--and therefore, I--have a reason to live, and then make me feel the struggle to claw my way back from the edge of the abyss. This is supposed to be a horror story. Give me a reason to put the book down and an even bigger reason to pick it up again. Give me suspense. Give me insidiousness. Give me a creeping chill that makes me believe there's something dark, formless, and hungry stalking me. Give me horror. 

As I stated before, I'm conflicted by The Sound of Broken Ribs. I see so much potential beneath the surface, but overall, Edward Lorn fails to deliver on that potential.

Review at a Glance:

Concept: B+
Execution: C+
Writing Style: C
Characters: C
Reader Connection: D
Overall Grade: C+
Would I Buy This Author Again? Unlikely