Reviewed by
Grabbermcgrew

Reviewer Rating:    * * *
Title:     Casual Crimes
Category:     Contemporary Fiction
Author:     Kelly Norris
Publisher:     Bookmice.com
Release date:     15 January 2000
ISBN:  604-850-1246

Casual Crimes by Kelly Norris is an excellent book.  It starts out rather slowly and I was about to give it up but decided to keep pushing forward.

Casual Crimes has a unique way of looking at how often we tell our friends, aquantinces, family or even ourselves little white lies.  These little lies are to make others happy or ourselves better able to deal with reality.  In truth, by constantly bombarding ourselves with untruths, we are cutting ourselves off at the knees - emotionally crippling ourselves.  We deprive our ownselves the maturation of emotional strengths.

This book is written from the perspective of a triangle of interdependent people.

Kurt - who is emotionally shallow and consequently unbelievably rude and overbearing.  He has a malicious streak.  He believes to have children with Sara will repair his emotional psyche and cause him to be passionate about SOMETHING, which is what he's been chasing throughout his lifetime.

Sara - an emotionally passive woman.  She has told herself lies for so long, she neither knows who she is underneath.  A woman who uses words to deflect people from looking too closely at who she is.

Ben - the catalyst that causes both Kurt and Sara to look deep within for the truth from which they've hidden themselves.  He is cruel only in that he chooses not to deal with people who cannot take themselves out of the web of deceit they spin.  He's a rough character, but you will find yourself falling for his charms.

If you can get past the beginning - which admittedly drags - it is a good book.  Looking back now, after having read the entire novel, I can see why Kelly painted Sara the way she did.  But I encourage you to keep at it and the payoff is a book well worth reading.

Copyright © 2001 by Grabbermcgrew