Playground

3.25. The two narratives that make up Playground are quite distinct, and it’s really a roll of the dice for which one the reader will connect with more. While there is plenty to admire about the risk of entangling these two contrasting storylines, in the case that one doesn’t resonate, Power’s story relies on the grace and hope of the reader that things will eventually “click” in a way that makes it worth it. Unfortunately, for this reader, and I suspect for many others, the eventual merging of the stories is less like fireworks and more like a misfire. If the reader connects with both sides of the Playground coin, great, but if not, they will likely feel cheated, especially if one half of the novel boils down the passionate, carried away ramblings of an author and his failed attempt to insert them in a way that makes sense.