The Children's Hospital by: Chris Adrian

Huh. I'm not sure where to begin with this book. It has a tremendous amount of potential -- with a lot of disappointment, and frustration. From the beginning the book draws you in, and lays the ground work for a great story. But I felt like the author was so obsessed with the sex lives of the characters that he failed to finish the story.

From the beginning there are so many questions, why did the world end, what did the main character, Jemma's brother have to do with being the catalyst to the Apocalypse, and how are the angels tied to Jemma. What are the "sins" that lead to this destruction, and why were these few people "saved." Is there even the possibility for redemption, and if so what is the means of redemption -- The children are the source of numerous questions -- especially Brenda, and her mysterious connection to Jemma, and what do Jemma's unexplained gifts have to do with all of this. Unfortunately, I came away from the book still waiting for most of these questions to be answered. And the irony of that is many of the characters were seeking for the same answers -- and never found any more plausible explanations than I, as a reader did.

I also came away feeling like the author was more concerned with sex, and vulgarity -- in both language and demonstration -- than in actually telling the story. Many of the characters were very well developed -- but the main character was also a disappointment. Jemma just seems to be the worlds greatest incompetent, at everything. As a reader I came away trying to figure out why she would have been in the hospital to begin with. And on top of that -- I felt like I needed a medical dictionary to finish the book.

Overall, I don't know that I would consider this a book I would use as a great recommendation. While the author obviously knows a lot about medicine, and is honest in his presentation of his questions about God, and the role he may play in the lives of his creations, I was generally disappointed in his writing. And the story failed to materialize completely.