Sammy's Hill: 04/24/07

Let me start by saying I've enjoyed Kristin Gore's writing on Futurama and find her stories both witty and funny. When Sammy's Hill showed up at our local BookCrossing meeting I snatched it up, eager to see how she would do with a novel, especially about a subject she probably knows well from her father's time in politics.

Here's the story in a nutshell: young up-and-coming political aid has to decide between love and career. If this were a screwball comedy, she would have ended up with both love and career but the book can't decide if it is chick lit or a thriller.

The other problem is the way Sam is written. To show how green around the gills she is, Gore has Sam question everything (and I do mean everything) that anyone says to her or that she does. While this sort of approach works for the Futurama characters, it backfires horribly for Sam. It doesn't make her seem smart and it makes every scene, even simple ones, take twice as long as they should.

Finally there is Sam's professional relationship with RG. She states throughout the novel her deep respect for her boss and yet she doesn't listen to him. At the very start of things when RG has to compromise with another congressman to get a bill passed, he warns Sam not trust any of this man's staff. So what does she immediately do? Of course; she hops into bed with her counterpart. And yet I'm supposed to think she's smarter than the average Futurama character?

Comments (0)