Taxi Drivers Daughter

Rating:
Summary: Compelling and addictive, with a poor conclusion..
Review: It is quite a shame that I am first to review this book, because it is a little gem, and Julia Darling is one author that warrants more attention then she may receive. Her first book, 'Crocodile Soup' is also a superb read. While they are both completely different novels, they are unusual and continously border on surrealism.

Darling perfectly blends tension and poetry in this piece. The characters are wonderfully intricate and the story is quite addictive, just as the writing is beautifully framed within their little slice of English working class domesticity.

Claris is a wonderful teenager and the interactions between her and family and the greater world is quite compelling. Similarly, her grandmother is beautifully wilted and her sister's struggle with her own identity is also intriguing.

However, I couldn't help but feel that the ending was a poor departure from the piece. It just seemed too perfect and wonderfully rounded and therefore disjointed from the rest of the tale. I felt that something more in the line of 'Crocodile Soup' would better suit this work.

But overall, a fantastic and compelling read.