WASTED PAIN by Ken RossMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
"A man is never too old to chase young women."
This line is on page one. Also on page one, "ageing". Ken Ross's novel, Wasted Pain, is billed as contemporary romance and/or romantic comedy. As I read on, there wasn't a lot that I found comedic or romantic. "The guy", unnamed throughout the entire novel, has sexually crude thoughts more suitable for the villain of a story rather than the so-called romantic lead. And the female of the couple is as repulsive as he is! It's maddening because it is possible to have unlikable characters in a good novel, even as the main characters. I feel like this was a missed opportunity for Ross to create one of those novels.
In the summary it is stated this takes place in an American city but the author is clearly British, based on the use of terms like bloke and hostel and the incessant capitalization of Martini. I wouldn't care if it did take place in England so why the pointing out of the setting being America? If it is necessary to take place in America, use American terms.
Beyond the storyline, the text is filled with disjointed sentence fragments that cannot be explained away by claiming 'poetic prose'. Editors are underrated and I'm saying that as a lover of reading, not just an actual editor. In the end, I see potential, I really do.
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