VBT# Kaleidoscope - Kevin Berry

 

 

Review: Kaleidoscope - Book #2 Stim Series - Kevin Berry - January 2014

When I saw this book , there were several things I loved about 1) being the cover - as someone who has dyed my hair bright colours - I loved this and yes, I have been blue and black like Chloe on the cover , 2) the fact that the story is set in New Zealand and focuses on one of our later Natural Disasters - the Christchurch Earthquake in February 2011 ( the major one) and 3) the novel includes the main characters as having Aspergers's syndrome and various other disorders. Growing up, I have been exposed to Aspergers's syndrome as my brother has Autism and I have been part of Parent 2 Parent which works with families with children with disabilities. So as I was reading about Chloe and some of her Aspie quirks it did make me wonder whether we all have a little bit of it somewhere and I felt that I could relate to Chloe on a personal level. In Kaleidoscope , the earthquake has just struck and Chloe's cousin is missing, their house has been reduced to a mess and her medications and everything that she holds close to her is lost under the rubble. On top of that as an Aspie, routine is important for Chloe and now with the earthquake it has brought upon Saradoodledom - Chaos . Will Chloe be able to cope with the earthquake and the aftermath ? This book is not only a fictional version of the Earthquake itself and the hundreds of aftershocks but also written in diary format and follows Chloe's life as she tries to navigate through the mess that this has caused her life as without her routine, safety and meds - who is Chloe really ?

If you are wanting a book that speaks to you directly and shows you how the other side lives , then this book is worth the read.