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Title: Mesmerizing
Review: Though I approached this book with some trepidation, thinking I would have nothing in common with its characters, my fears were allayed after a few pages. Petry's insight into the psyche of her characters creates a haunting picture, for her characters often reflect aspects of everyone's personality at one time, from the crazed manics to the stoic and determined. Even the street itself, personified here, becomes a timeless reminder of the darkness within the human soul. The plotline and literary devices employed by Petry are effective, drawing us deeper with each page into her own reality, which, though fictional, seems entirely plausible given the depth of her insight and detail. The story of one woman's struggle to better herself despite enormous odds and her subsequent end remind us never to take our lives for granted, and to appreciate the struggles of those that came before.
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