Coming only nineteen years too late, I present you with a review of a book that seems largely irrelevant in today’s global sphere. Nonetheless, its message might still hold some worth, if not its delicately written prose.
I recently read When the Wind Blows by James Patterson, and, well, I’m not really sure how I feel about it.
It kind of creeped me out.
Patterson, in this novel, weaves a particularly gruesome tale about a woman, Frannie O’Neill, who works at a veterinary clinic after she had lost her husband to a brutal shooting. Then an FBI agent, one Kit Harrison (a codename, of course) comes to her town to unearth the truth about a whole slew of murders that may or may not be linked.
Spoiler alert: they are.
In a startling turn of events, Frannie and Kit find themselves drawn together by that host of murders occurring in Frannie’s small town in Colorado, and seemingly only affecting scientists. But things are not as they seem, and both find themselves not only aligned with each other, but with a supernatural being known only as Max.
Max is a regular 11 year-old girl, if only for the fact that she has long, silvery wings that give her the ability to fly. Her above-average intelligence allows the trio to find the murderers, and even find themselves at “The School,” the mysterious place Max came from.
The premise for this book sounds quite ridiculous, but reading it, you just might find yourself believing in the possibility of it occurring. Like most science fiction, it retains the idea of humans and their overreliance of technology, a lesson that becomes even truer with each passing day. Genetic engineering is the touchpoint, with scientists and doctors working in underground laboratories attempting to engineer the next breed of super humans. But their hubris and greed make them undeniably shortsighted, a fatal flaw in their plans.
The murders in this book are gruesome. Patterson shows no mercy as he strikes characters off the page with the ease of a keystroke, forgetting them callously as we turn to the next page.
With chapters averaging only about three pages, the book gives off a fast-paced, almost manic urgency. Kit, Frannie, and Max are in constant danger, and with the perils so close, it seems very much like they may not make it out alive.
For a book written quite some time ago, it seems to have only been penned in the last few years. The predictions are startlingly accurate, and the premise bears remarkable resemblance to this year’s Logan.
Truth be told, I’m not sure I liked the book. It was startling and alarming, but strangely evocative and interesting.
Patterson’s storytelling shares a grim tale of the future, one that might be much closer than we think. He exploits our fear of the unknown, and invites us to question what truly is happening right under our noses.
Or rather, in the case of a secret underground laboratory, right underneath our feet.
