Tales from the Bargain Bin

Mini-review: Bargain Bin find that was much better than I expected. I thought this was going to be a fairly typical post-disaster survival story. Instead, survival barely comes into it. The kids apparently get stuck in the world's biggest Super Wal-Mart with a practically unlimited supply of food and water which takes all the survival suspense out of it.  So, instead of a survival story, it's actually a character driven story about how they react to the extreme situation.

This was a quick, fun read for the most part. However, a few parts do drag, especially the scenes with the 13 year old girl when she's flirting with the high school boys. That actually leads to my bigger issue with the story - character development. This is (or should be) a character-driven story. However, because it is told in first-person, I don't feel like I understand the motives of the other characters as well as I should. Why is Sahalia (the 13 year old) so desperate for attention. Why does Jake feel like a failure? Braden? We know nothing about him. 

I really think this story should have been told in third-person, extensively expanded to allow for more character development or changed into a plot-driven story. As it is now, it feels like it's stuck between the two types and I'm not able to emotionally connect to it the way I wish I could. 

It's still fun and I will happily read the next (which I own) but I feel like it could have been more than it was.