I uploaded this video yesterday and would have also written this blog post if I hadn't been dashing out to go on a photography bender with my friend Jennifer. Don't know about the rest of the world but Edinburgh is fuh-reezing at the moment. Turns out, I'm also not a very good photographer!
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| Down by Western Harbour |
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| Jennifer with her new toy |
But I digress. What I wanted to quickly talk about is the weird and wonderful phenomenon of something being "so bad, it's good".
This certainly isn't something new; in my video I mention the fascinating tale of Trolls 2, a film so bad that it has become a cult classic! You apparently don't even have to have seen the original Trolls film to appreciate the sequel as it has absolutely nothing to do with it. For more information, I recommend you watch Best Worst Movie, a documentary made by one of the original cast members.
I also mention that classic 2004 blockbuster, Sleepover. I have no idea how my sister and I ended up watching this piece of rubbish but watch it we did, over and over and over again. We even shared our experience with our friend Sofi and would have our own Sleepover sleepovers; sleepovers arranged with the sole purpose of watching Sleepover... good times.
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| Just look at those ratings! |
As far as books go, I've only experienced the "it's so bad it was good" phenomenon twice (that I can think of). The first was back in 2011 when I read Witch and Wizard by James Patterson (yeah, right). It was given to me by my grandmother after getting a free copy with some newspaper. I read it on a whim as there really was nothing about the synopsis that excited me.
Most of the time, if I don't like a book, the rest of the reading experience becomes a chore and puts a serious damper on reading in general. That's why, when The Silent Land was picked for book club, I had my doubts. A quick read of the back of the book had potential, but there was a lingering fear that this book would be predictable. I mean, I challenge you to read the back and not guess correctly the "twist".
The book is about a married couple celebrating ten happy years of marriage by taking a skiing holiday in France. Joyce doesn't mess about and has them swept up in an avalanche pretty near the beginning. After struggling free from the snow, the couple make their way back to their resort only to find that it is deserted, they have the whole place to themselves. Only issue, every time they try to leave, they somehow end up back in the resort...
You know what happened, right? Sure, let's make it sound all supernatural and eerie but... come on!
Anyways, predictability aside, I managed to read this pretty quickly. Going by my usual measure of a bad book (it becoming a chore and sitting untouched for weeks on end) this wasn't ticking any of the boxes! I practically sped-read the whole thing, sometimes chuckling, sometimes laughing out loud in a hearty fashion. It was definitely what I would class as an easy-read. But it was also enjoyable because, despite the terrible writing, the at best weak plot and the truly ridiculous characters with their outrageous dialogue, I enjoyed this book. Doesn't make much sense until I remember films such as Sleepover and the cult classic Trolls 2.
The meeting at book club was also a blast. We all agreed to different degrees on how awful the book was and then sat around reading out random passages. Maybe this has aided in creating this weird fondness I have for this book but for anyone outwith a book club in which to share the giggles, my recommendation for this book would come with a giant warning sticker.
Overall, I would give this book a generous 2 out of 5 for style and execution but for sheer entertainment, this gets brought up to a 3!
If you would like your own copy of The Silent Land, simply CLICK HERE to be taken to its page on Book Depository. This is an affiliate link which means I get a small commission if you do end up buying it ^!^
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