Tuesday, January 6, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: Sweetness #9

This is a book review for Sweetness #9 by Stephan Eirik Clark. I am using this book for the New to You Reading Challenge hosted by Herding Cats and Burning Soup. This was the debut novel of a brand new author. 

It's 1973, and David Leveraux has landed his dream job as a Flavorist-in-Training, working in the secretive industry where chemists create the flavors for everything from the cherry in your can of soda to the butter on your popcorn. While testing a new artificial sweetener--"Sweetness #9"--he notices unusual side-effects in the laboratory rats and monkeys: anxiety, obesity, mutism, and a generalized dissatisfaction with life. David tries to blow the whistle, but he swallows it instead. Years later, Sweetness #9 is America's most popular sweetener--and David's family is changing. His wife is gaining weight, his son has stopped using verbs, and his daughter suffers from a generalized dissatisfaction with life. Is Sweetness #9 to blame, along with David's failure to stop it? Or are these just symptoms of the American condition?

I started reading this book for the Bout of Books. I know I said one of my goals was to only read books I enjoyed, but I guess that went out the window for this one. The premise was really interesting and the book started out well enough. But then it just kind of went downhill. By the time I realized how little I was enjoying the book, I felt like I had put too much time into it to mark it as DNF. It was just one of those books I felt I had to finish. Here were the positives: I enjoyed reading about David's marriage to Betty and their attempts to have a baby. The descriptions of him at the lab testing the animals was also interesting, if not a bit dry. Then it started to resemble a nonfiction book. A boring nonfiction book. I actually had to double check the genre on Goodreads. This book actually had footnotes! I hate footnotes even in nonfiction books. They distract from the story. But why did the author feel the need to place footnotes in this fiction novel? The author would go back and forth between talking about his family and talking about his work at the lab. His work at the lab would also be intermingled with actual historical events, which is why I had to make sure this was fiction.

I liked the character of David in the beginning. He thought he was doing good and he genuinely tried to make to right when he discovered the possible side effects of Sweetness #9. Then he gets forced out of the company and suddenly I hate him. His wife and children spend decades using that sweetener all the time and yet he never, ever tells them about the possible side effects. This is despite the fact that every single member of his family (himself included) are experiencing those same side effects. When his daughter begins to question it, he even tries to shut her down and tell her there is nothing wrong with the sweetener. After his concern with the side effects in the beginning, I really did not get that decision. 

I give this book a 2/5.

10 comments :

  1. The premise intrigues me, but I'll pass. Sounds like it'd bored me to death. Nice review! :)

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    1. Oh yes, Jocelyn I would recommend a pass on this one. I was disappointed that the premise didn't work out more.

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  2. What a shame that a book with such a great premise failed to deliver. I know what you mean about investing so much time you feel it is better to continue than as a DNF. I do hope your next read is better.

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    1. Thanks Cleo, yeah I was pretty disappointed by it. It has been on my TBR for a while. Oh well, can't win them all. But after that, I read Fangirl and LOVED it!!!

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  3. Aww that sucks. And it sounded so good! The dad is such a pain. I understand completely why you would hate his character and actions.

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    1. Thanks Adriana. Yes he was a pain all right. Very disappointing

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  4. oh well. the hazards of reading something you're not that familiar with...

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    1. Joyous Reads, yeah I guess you can't win them all, right?

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  5. Wow, this book definitely sounds interesting but if nothing else the footnotes would put me off it. Because, really, footnotes in a fiction novel? Why?

    Sorry this one was a disappointment!

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    1. I know Nobody! I think the author was trying to make it seem like it was a nonfiction book. But the footnotes just turned me off so much. Not a good creative choice.

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