Backin October 2010, when I sold THE OTHER LIFE and reviews were still far off, Ithought: “Huh, why should I not read reviews? I can take criticism.”
Fastforward a few months, when ARCs were finally sent out, I suddenly wasn’t allthat sure about my thick skin. I checked goodreads religiously and then I gotmy first not-so-stellar review (a two star rating) and I sat in front of my laptopparalyzed. I was too scared to read it and was driving myself insane with thepossibilities. But then I told my husband (with the warning that he shouldn’tread it either and that I didn’t want to know what was written!).
Yeah...Husband didn’t listen and in the evening while we were making dinner, hedescribed the review to me and I didn’t die. I could deal with it. My husbandshrugged at the end of his recount and said “that wasn’t so bad”. And he wasright. The next day I read the review and it was well-written and I wasgrateful that the reviewer had taken the time to write something about my book,though they didn’t like it.
I still cringe every time I see a low-rating, Istill hesitate before I read a negative review but I do it anyway because, whileit hurts a little to find out that not everyone loves your book, it helps megrow as a writer. Every time someone criticizes some part of my writing, Ichallenge myself to do better next time. And I love a good challenge.
Of courseI know that no matter how hard I try, I’ll never make everyone happy and that’snot what I’m striving for (though maybe a little part of me does). But I wantto know what readers think, want to know why people hate some books while theylove others with such a fervor that they fight for them.
I often find myselfbrowsing reviews of books I’ve read, and one day I found a negative review fora book almost everyone loved (myself included). And there were dozens, maybehundreds of comments defending that book. I was stunned (and I felt a bit sorryfor the poor reviewer who’d done nothing but write their opinion and got bashedfor it). People were willing to defend a book – not because it was written bytheir relative, or agent sister, or friend. No, because they loved it so much.I think it’s wonderful that books are still capable of evoking such strongemotions in us – hate, love, despair, blind rage. Isn’t that what we want aswriters?
Movies have pictures, soundtracks and big actors to get a strongreaction from their audience, we have only our words.
