Ice Cream Man
By Evan Bollinger
This is a very interesting story, it takes you on different highs and lows as you experience the journey and emotion of the main character, Lacey Stamford.
With a title like ‘Ice Cream Man’ I wasn’t expecting this book to be as serious as it was. Don’t get me wrong, it has its fair share of humor and pure enjoyment but the story centers on a woman who has lost her husband and is therefore left with her two children. Such a serious topic for a shorter story.
What I liked was how the author definitely tied every event and every characteristic of the cast into the story. Lacey was developed to the fullest extent. Her reactions and dialogue were fitting for her character which made the story easier to dive into. When she was home with her kids she was just a mom. The beginning of the story says that time was ‘caught in a gaze’ which was a really great way to describe her life at that time.
One thing I definitely enjoyed about the story was the style of narration. It was very simple and to the point, not a lot of fancy (misused) words or grammatical errors. It was just a good read that I easily got through.
As the story progresses, Lacey is taken into a new world and that’s when her ‘true self’ really comes out. We see Lacey in a new light. Especially when her life becomes intertwined with the other characters such as Sebastian, a guy who becomes something of her love interest. He plays an important role in the book and definitely highlights more aspects and development on Lacey’s part.
The rest of the events that play out really demonstrate the author’s writing talent. The flow of the story is very smooth and progresses at a decent pace. Scenes change without sudden interruptions and there was just enough description to imagine the picture painted on the pages. I think I enjoyed the dialogue the most, though. There wasn’t a large amount of it, to be honest, but it was always structured really well. I’m a reader who hates seeing ‘she said’ or ‘laughed’ or whatever else. I know those are sometimes necessary to help readers keep up with who is speaking but Bollinger proved his writing talent by omitting all the unnecessary bits in his story and dialogue while keeping it interesting. That was definitely a plus for me.
I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys fiction, especially dark themed stories. If you like well-developed characters and quick reads then this is the book for you.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*