It’s September, does that mean it’s finally appropriate to start posting fall content on my blog? Just kidding, I don’t care when it’s socially acceptable, I’m gonna do it anyway. Today I wanted to share my review of The Memories of Eskar Wilde by E.H. Wilde, a quiet and mysterious book that made me feel like it was fall, despite it being set in various seasons across multiple years.
It’s been a while since the last time I posted a book review. I mean, It’s been a while since the last time I really read a book in general. Reading has been quite slow for me personally over the past couple of years. But I’m okay with that. Having a break from reading in 2022 and coming back to it in 2023, I am reminded how lovely it is to rediscover a love for something.
Instead of focusing on how many books I read per month, or making sure I am reading all of the popular books, I have taken a step back. I read what I want to when I want to.
Don’t get me wrong, readathons are fun, I love reading as much as I can. I love spending time treating reading as my main priority. In fact, the ever-famous Hocus Pocus readathon will be coming back this year in October, so stay tuned for that! You can see what we did last year here!
However, having taken a step back from reading, I came to the realization that reading can still be something I love without it being my constant priority. I have spent time doing other hobbies that I love, like crocheting, knitting, and more.
Anyway, enough about me, here is my review of The Memories of Eskar Wilde by E.H. Wilde!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my review, all thoughts expressed at my own. This post also contained affiliate links. I make a small commission through these links with no impact on your purchase. For more information, click here!
Book Review of The Memories of Eskar Wilde
Title: The Memories of Eskar Wilde
Author: E.H. Wilde
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary
Content Warnings: death of a parent, childbirth, gun violence, adult pursuing a relationship with a minor
Publisher: Tabio Publishing
Publish Date: April 22, 2022
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Rating: 3/5 Stars
The Memories of Eskar Wilde is written in the style of a journal or memoir from the perspective of Eskar Wilde, a young boy who just lost his father. After the funeral, he and his mother move to a small town in France. Here, Eskar, along with the help from some friendly neighbors, discovers that the passing of his father might not have been an accident.
Within this novel lies the truth of adolescence. As the story progresses, the reader gets to watch the main character, Eskar, as he grows, makes mistakes, and learns lessons. The Memories of Eskar Wilde is set over a large chunk of Eskar’s young years it was fascinating watching the changes within the character. And despite the youth of the main character, this book can appeal to a wide range of readers, both old and young. As an adult reader, I still love coming-of-age novels. There is something so comforting about watching a character grow throughout a story.
This comfort translated to a very autumn-like reading experience, despite my reading this over the summer. This story is categorized as a mystery, and it is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing. However, despite this, I would still describe it as quiet. The story is never yelling at you to follow along, it is calmly leading the way, holding your hand as you travel throughout the tale.
I also really appreciated the characterization within this story. I place good characters very highly when reviewing books and E.H. Wilde does an amazing job at creating fully fleshed-out and interesting characters. I especially loved Brie, the small cat with a huge personality!
While I did enjoy these aspects of the story, there were a couple issues that pulled me out of the story and made it difficult to fully immerse in the world the author was trying to create.
From a technical standpoint, one of the common issues was within the dialogue. During conversations, characters consistently repeated each other’s names, which made it hard to flow with the story. It felt unrealistic, how many times three people could say each other’s names within a one-page conversation, something that doesn’t happen in real-world interactions.
Another thing that often pulled me out of the story, and even frustrated me a bit, was how much information was repeated in every chapter. The reader wasn’t trusted to remember what happened one or two chapters back. It bogged down the reading experience a bit and made me want to put the book down. By removing these info dumps, I would have had a much smoother reading experience.
From a storytelling standpoint, there were some aspects of the book that left me uncomfortable or confused. For example, one of the storylines includes Eskar performing a very complex medical procedure with no training other than some internet and book research. It felt unrealistic. But for me, far worse was a 26-year-old character pursuing a romantic relationship with a 17-year-old. Although this issue resolved itself by the end of the book, it was frustrating seeing everyone forgive this character like nothing happened. I wanted more consequences for an adult going after a minor.
Unfortunately, These plot lines and technical aspects held me back from fully enjoying a story that held a lot of promise. The mystery behind the story is interesting and it’s clear that the author knows what they are doing when it comes to storytelling. With a little more editing, this might have been a 4 or 5-star read for me.
I want to thank the author again for trusting me with reading and reviewing this book. I had a great time with the story and the characters. The Memories of Eskar Wilde is definitely worth a read if you ever get a chance.
Also looking forward to some more fall reads! I’m already starting to build out my spooky TBR. Can’t wait to read all of the mysteries, thrillers, horror books, and more in the coming months!