Review of Juni-Q and the Secrecy of Desire

[Steinkar]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Juni-Q and the Secrecy of Desire" by Julian Martin.]

---

4 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

In Juni-Q and the Secrecy of Desire, Julian Martin draws his main character as both a scathingly sarcastic and painfully insecure 19-year-old who is struggling to navigate the pains of adulthood. Reeling from a crushing sexual affair with her former math teacher, who eventually discards her, Juni-Q wastes her days “dodging alumni” at her father’s computer repair shop. So, when her only real friend, Flenner, invites her to spend his Spring Break with him and his billionaire college friends on a yacht, she jumps at the chance to open her life to new experiences: drugs, sex, and the lavish lifestyle of the rich and famous. At first, her overwhelming feelings of inferiority cause her to withdraw from the group, but when Flenner suddenly goes missing at sea, Juni-Q is compelled to come out of her shell and investigate the dark secrets of all the other passengers in order to solve the mystery.

The brilliance of this book rests mostly on the characterization of Juni-Q, a Walter Mitty-esque character who frequently diverts into escapist daydreams. Using a hybrid point of view of third-person limited and first-person narrative, Martin shrewdly uses an “outside” voice to describe both Juni-Q and the storyline, but he also intersperses Juni-Q’s own voice throughout the narrative. Juni-Q is described as having a “feverish imagination,” and that point is driven home as she talks to herself throughout the book. Without the omniscient narrator, Juni-Q would lose credibility; without Juni-Q’s inner thoughts, readers would lose her eccentric ruminations. I also like the genuine relationship between Juni-Q and Flenner. Their devotion to each other is clear, yet we find out that they have not shared all of their life’s pains with each other, enabling their relationship to grow throughout the book. Although the other characters are not fully drawn, they represent a nice cross-section of humanity from which Martin creates the mystery to be solved.

Unfortunately, there are a few very obvious editing errors in the text. For example, in two places there were no periods at the end of sentences.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars! Although the editing could have been better, the mystery storyline kept my attention because Juni-Q is a fascinating character.

This book is clearly meant for adult readers. The author actually puts a content warning at the beginning of the book: “drug use, explicit sex, references to sex trafficking of minors, and the aftermath of a possible suicide.”

******
Juni-Q and the Secrecy of Desire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Mark Lazarus]

Juni-Q sounds like a deeply complex and flawed character, which makes her all the more interesting. The mix of mystery, dark themes, and sharp characterization seems like it would make for a gripping read, despite the editing slip-ups.