BOOK REVIEW: ​PIVOT BY L. C. BARLOW

 
Pivot is the first book in the Jack Harper Trilogy, as the front cover will tell you. I intentionally avoided reading anything about Pivot before I started it because I prefer to go into a book blind, so I’ll keep this part brief.
 
Jack Harper is a cute little girl who is ‘adopted’ by a mysterious man named Cyrus and she lives in a rich, lavish home, and is taught the usual things; Maths, English, Science, Murder…. You know, that old chestnut. It quickly becomes apparent that (murder aside), this is no ordinary house and Cyrus is no ordinary man. When the birth parents are away, the supernatural comes out to play. The book takes us on Jack’s journey through ages 7 to 17.
 
Right off the bat, I have to tell you I have some criticisms, but bear with me. As a rule, I will not put out an overall negative review of a book, especially if said book is the author’s debut. If I read something I dislike, I might rant to Nick – my poor, suffering partner who just sits there minding his own business until I burst in with something like ‘well you won’t believe this bullshit!’ – but I won’t take to the Internet with my worst opinions. Not anymore. I have been told by basically everyone in my life that I am overly critical of things I read and watch, that I nit-pick, that I get too invested in my exaggerated and usually unjustifiable hatred of things, and that I just go on and on in my ranty attempts to convert everyone else to my way of thinking.
 
Personally, I don’t know what they’re all talking about. Take any of the live-action Stars Wars films outside of the original trilogy and Rogue One, for example. I don’t like them, but I hardly said a thing. Only that George Lucas fluffed what could have been an epic Darth Vader origin story…. And the relationship between Padme and Anakin went from weird and creepy to entirely unconvincing… goddamn Jar Jar Binks… midichlorians (are you kidding me, George?!)… Oh look, The Force Awakens seems to be a soft reboot of A New Hope… IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO LUKE SKYWALKER’S CHARACTER OH MY GOD I’M SO ANGRY….
 
Ten years later….
 
Oh. Profuse apologies, what were we talking about? The book, Pivot! Let’s get into it. I will discuss some small details but this review will mostly be spoiler free.
 
The opening line hooked me right away. I read it and thought, ‘well I better get comfortable’. Cyrus is teaching 7 year-old Jack how to do a murder. It’s such an interesting start to the story, and the fact that’s it’s written in the first-person (Jack’s perspective) heightened the tension. And then, as early as the first chapter, it took an unexpected but very welcome and intriguing turn (which is why I recommend avoiding the official synopsis).
 
A problem for me that kept coming to mind as I went on was that although I was interested in what was happening, I wasn’t invested in the characters. Cyrus, for example, is a cult leader who we’re told is very charming and very loved, and we’re given a couple of examples about how he recruits people, which worked well. However, recruiting and keeping people in such an environment are two different things, and I really would have liked to read some interactions with his followers that showcased his duplicity and their enthrallment with him. Jack appears to see through his mask even though she’s an indoctrinated child, and it made me question how and why all these others stayed so hooked. I think the ‘show, don’t tell’ idea is particularly important with these types of characters, and so rather than being told that Cyrus is a master manipulator, I would have preferred a couple of short scenes showing me instead. You know, just casual, day-to-day interactions. That being said, I’m a very character-centric reader and quite often, if I enjoy the characters, I don’t even care about the plot, so perhaps this criticism just comes out of Barlow not reading my mind and adhering to my personal preferences (how dare you).
 
My other gripe was with the dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, it was fine, but I didn’t get much sense of a character’s personality out of anything they said. Even towards the end, if I turned the page onto dialogue before knowing who was speaking, I couldn’t guess who it was. I would have loved to learn more about who the characters are rather than just what they do. I should mention that this is a gripe that I have with around 70% of the books I read, and most of the time the books are great.
 
However, the prose is absolutely wonderful and reads like a writer with many years experience penned it, which is a credit to Barlow because she’s new to the publishing novels. There was poetry to it, the kind that makes you bookmark the pages of phrases you particularly liked so you can find them again later.
 
‘Magic was in the air, like a funeral slowly being replaced by Christmas.’
 
‘I didn’t understand how hell could feel so fresh when so much of it was old.’
 
Those are two of my favourites, but I could carry on adding examples for ages. The strength of the prose far outweighs my complaints, as it was such a pleasure to read. The story itself is good, and though I thought there was a slight pacing issue at times, it flowed and was well structured. Something I think Barlow did particularly well was set-up and payoff. Too often, I read books that feed in threads that go nowhere, or are pointless and frustrating diversionary tactics. Even more common is little to no set-up at all and then everything just conveniently coming out near the end to justify whatever’s about to happen. I absolutely hate that, it’s so lazy. I read Pivot making notes on small details as I went along, wondering how many of them would lead nowhere, and as it turned out, Barlow followed through on everything. Not only that, but there was nothing that wasn’t set up – everything that happened in the conclusion was clearly pre-conceived and thought out, as opposed to just being bunged in on a whim. It was tight, son.
 
Overall, I would give Pivot 3.5/4 out of 5 stars. (3 stars, for me, is I liked it and would recommend it) I think that it’s a good book for people who enjoy dark mysteries and action in their stories. It’s a promising debut from a writer who has started well and can only go up from here, and I’m excited to read more from her.
 
‘What you are makes up for what you’re not.’ – had to leave you with one more, it is my very favourite.
 
I never know how to end reviews, so bye.
 
Kayleigh x

“Beyond good and evil, Pivot juggles archetypes until you’re not sure which ball is airborne and which is still in the author’s hand. A story about cracking free of your intended role in life, as plot and depth travel at the same exceptional speed.” ―Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box

"Suspenseful and delightfully disturbing (...) This is a promising beginning to the Jack Harper trilogy." ―Booklist

“Impressive and arresting prose drives this vivid debut. (...) Barlow’s gorgeous writing will easily propel readers through the rest of the series.” ―Publishers Weekly

From the age of seven, Jack Harper is raised by the leader of a mystical cult, Cyrus Harper. Through Cyrus, Jack receives a full education in all usual subjects―economics, literature, mathematics, history―as well as one unique skill useful to a person in Cyrus's position: assassination. With the help of Roland James, a man incapable of dying, Cyrus hones Jack into the perfect weapon to use against all who oppose him.

It is not long, however, before Jack discovers that Cyrus and Roland are not the only ones living in Cyrus’s mansion. There, too, exists a mysterious creature in the depths of the house with supposed immortal magic. According to Roland, this creature is responsible for all the miraculous things Jack has witnessed throughout her childhood, including Roland’s resurrection. The creature, potent and powerful, only weakens in the presence of Cyrus’s red velvet box―a dark, enchanted tool that grants Cyrus his invincibility and ensures his reign.

Lonely and terrified by her life in the cult, under Cyrus's neverending watch, Jack desperately pursues the mysterious being. When they finally meet, her world is turned upside down, as he offers her more than she could have ever expected―the possibility of escape and her own secret, magical power.

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