There is a sense of melancholy when reading the first few chapters of The Last Days of Jack Sparks from Jason Arnopp.
Ultimately this is the chronicle of the final days of someone’s life, which in turn could jump the shark before ever getting into the meat of the story.
Luckily ‘Sparks’ is written with such verve by Arnopp that at first he becomes most quite unlikeable and thus you almost wish he would pop his clogs sooner.
His character is fleshed out throughout the story and the blanks of the story are filled in by other characters including his older brother.
Sparks is looking for his next big hit after writing about gangsters and even drug addiction, so he looks to prove the existence of ghosts, but becomes increasingly cynical of the whole thing.
This is where the Arnopp’s talent for humour breaks the story up as a dark comedy is introduced as Sparks teams up with a group of ghost hunters.
Towards its conclusion ‘Last Days…’ takes a darker turn and introduces more supernatural elements. Make no mistake though, this is a riveting read, with whiffs of nostalgia but tonnes of originality.
Advertisements Share this:
