The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes

The premise sounded very interesting: An 11 year-old Lucy Burns sends a letter addressed to "To Whom It May Concern" in an effort to save her sister's life. It's not until she's in college that the full contract is revealed. In exchange for her sister's life and continued well-being, Lucy must agree to be a facilitator for Hell: she will be given a list the damned that she must usher off to their eternal fate. Written around the Faustian Archetype, Lucy must find a way out of her contract with the devil if she ever wants a normal life.

The story was just a little too similar to Brendan Fraser's Bedazzled. I had a very difficult time connecting with the character of Lucy Burns. The author's writing style did not make it any easier and I found myself not wanting to continue. I think the problem, for me, started with page one where the author depicts her heroine playing with her older sister. The author has one kid call the other a "retard." I understand that this is how some children talk to each other and I would be completely lying if I said there wasn't a time in my own childhood where I used this word. However, I have grown up and the times they have a-changed. I find this word, along with several other derogatory terms, to be unacceptable in any context. I almost stopped reading there. (I had similar problems when reading Ian Fleming's, Dr. No.) But, out of respect for my roommate who had recommended the novel, I sincerely tried to give this book a chance and pushed on.

Halfway through the book, I felt like the author was telling instead of showing. There wasn't a lot of character development for Lucy and the events of the novel just seemed to be rushed. The reader is told that Lucy likes to take her car to the Snow White Car Wash after she sends a human being off to hell. Then it is unnecessarily explained to the reader that having her car cleaned is like washing off the dirt Lucy feels after fulfilling her part of the Devil's contract. We're told about the relationship Lucy has with her neighbor and we get to see a part of it but, as a reader, I don't believe it. It feels forced for the purpose of the story rather than something organic. The joking banter between the friends is jarring without that natural bond of friendship in place.

I have to be honest, I didn't fully finish reading the novel. Though I skimmed through to the end to see how it all works out and it was pretty much as expected. I cannot recommend this book nor will I discourage someone from forming his or her own opinion about the work. There are more than a few novels I did not personally like that are considered great works of literature. (For example: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.) Please check out other reviews on Amazon to determine if this book might be a good fit for you.