A friend mentioned Jason Pellegrini to me one day as someone I should consider interviewing for the podcast. By coincidence, that same week Jason contacted me before I could contact him, and we were able to schedule a time to talk about his novel, Booth.
Jason already had one novel out, The Replacement, and had recently released Booth. I started doing a little reading about his first novel and learned that it was a thriller and described as fairly graphic, so I was a bit nervous about reading Booth (you'll know if you're a regular listener/reader that I'm kind of wimpy when it comes to scary or gory books. It turns out, though, that Jason doesn't like to write in the same genre every time and Booth was quite a different book from his first one.
At dawn, on the day of his execution, Joseph Bateman finds himself reflecting on his life, one filled with poor decisions and evil people. Even his lifelong best friend played a pivotal role in earning Joseph his seat on death row.A phenomenon occurs as the electricity meant to kill Joseph is sent through him, and his essence is ripped from the body he has known his entire life and thrown into a new one. Only the body he now inhabits isn't new at all; it is the body of a person who lived over a hundred years before Joseph's birth.Now living in an unfamiliar era of history and trapped inside a foreign body, Joseph learns he has been sent back for a reason: to earn redemption for his damned soul and to find a sense of peace he has never known. All he needs to do to get there is to prevent one of history's most infamous murders. (Source)
For the first part of the novel the story seems to be a pretty basic character examination of Joseph and his possibility for redemption. At the time of his execution, though, when Joseph is sent back in time, the story takes a definite turn. It's still about redemption, but not in the way I originally thought when I began reading. The story is compelling and keeps you reading to find out how things are going to work out. It's not graphic or gory, but it does deal with some very dark issues such as racism, murder, and domestic violence, so you should definitely be aware of these themes before starting to read if you are sensitive to those subjects or they might be a trigger.
Genres:
- Time Travel
- Historical Fiction
- Science Fiction
What I loved:
- The unexpected turns the story takes throughout.
- The evolution of Joseph as he navigates his story and fate. This evolution is complicated and not easy, but it is compelling.
- The elements of time travel and historical fiction.
Who should read Booth?
- Fans of science fiction, especially time travel.
- Fans of historical fiction.
- Fans of novels with darker, more complicated elements and characters.
Quotes:
- "One hour was all that remained in the life of Joseph William Bateman. Sixty short minutes--thirty-six hundred seconds--counting down until his heart beat no longer."
- "'You can't let hate get to you, son. Because if it does, it will destroy the person you really are, and replace you with a stranger you'll hate.'" -Leonard Hershel
Where you can find Jason online:
Website: http://www.jasonpellegrinibooks.com/
Facebook: @jasonpellegrinibooks
Twitter: @jpellegrini1983
Instagram: @jasonpellegrinibooks
Author Bio:
Jason Pellegrini is a Long Island native. He currently resides in Levittown, New York. His works include The Replacement and Booth. (Source)
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