Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Wicked Girl by I.V. Olokita.
I.V. Olokita has been providing medical care most of his life, specializing in management of medical aid to disaster areas all over the world. He also has a BA degree in logistics, and an MA degree in emergency and disaster situations management. He volunteers to rescue missions in disaster areas all over the world. I. V. Olokita is a happily married father of two adolescents and a foster father of five cats and two dogs.
Olokita's first book (in Hebrew), Ten Simple Rules, was published in 2014. It won an Israeli literary prize, and immediately made an online bestseller. The following year, another book by Olokita, The Executioner From The Silent Valley, made a local bestseller in Israel. In May 2016, his third novel, Wicked Girl, was published, to great success, and is now presented in English. Olokita's books are characterized by direct writing, twists and turns, requiring the reader to delve into and maintain vigilance from the beginning of the book to its surprising end.
Visit wickedgirl-olokita.com
"Even if a dog goes mad, it will always be a dog."
So said a small white sign hung on a wall in Birmingham Mental Institution Ward number 3. It had a black frame, written in a hand they were all well acquainted with. The letters had faded over time. In the end, among all the calligraphy in the frame, one could detect a blurred signature. It was mine.
John Wilcox is a young idler who loathes people except for young women. His destiny brought him near Birmingham Mental Institution during an earthquake. At that time Wilcox saves Elsie, an eccentric, half-deranged teenager. John pulls out every manipulation at his disposal to convince her that he is the right person to help her recover. Grey, Alessi's father, goes on a quest for his lost daughter. She, too, like her mother, was trying to escape him. And so, began the tragic story between prey, and it's supposed predator.
Wicked Girl is a psychological crime fiction, where a sequence of accidents generates cold-blooded, and blood-curdling actions. It is a fascinating combination of romance, tension, and humor, unpredictable to the very end. Presented in a clear, straightforward way, yet its plot is packed with wit, action, and surprises grabbing the reader's attention all the way to the last word.
I'm going to assume that this was written in the authors native language first and then translated into English. There doesn't seem to be a mention of a translator, so presumably the author did that himself. It's entirely possible that the essence of the story that the author wanted to convey hasn't quite hit the mark with the English version. However it's also possible that this would have been the end result anyway.
I found it hard to find a thread or thought process to connect with. Aside from being salacious, disjointed and confusing, it's also disturbing at times. It might be a case of not my cup of tea or not in the right frame of mind, but I am going to go with this plays off like something between a collection of assumptions on abuse and tropes that shouldn't be repeated, which starts with the title.
The insinuation of blame on the victim. The girl is wicked, naughty, ergo indecent and seductive. The suggestion being of blame because of the wickedness, which of course is victim blaming 101. The opposite side of the coin, which doesn't play into it in this case really is the perpetrator/s using exactly that thought process to take any accountability for their actions. Oh wait, they don't, because hey the girl is wicked.
The writing of a mind in meltdown - jumping from idea to inspiration and possibly encompassing some emotional baggage along the way. Perhaps this was the intent though. A kind of noir meets trash come performance art kind of vibe. Then again maybe it's not.
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