Seven Deadlies

by Gigi Levangie Grazer

[Leah]

Gigi Levangie is an author I’ve only recently got to know. I wasn’t a massive fan of her novel Fairytale Endings, but when I read The After Wife I adored it, being one of my favourite reads of 2011. So when I spotted her new novel Seven Deadlies up on Edelweiss I requested it immediately and I was so pleased to be accepted.

I really, really, really enjoyed Seven Deadlies. It’s a book with such a simple premise – Perry Gonzales is a 14 year old girl, someone who stands out a bit in the suburb where she lives in LA but she uses it to her advantage and uses her smarts to teach all the stupid kids around her. Each of the Seven tales Perry tells revolves around one of the seven deadly sins, and it introduces us to some really wacky, out of this world characters. I enjoyed each and every tale, and delighted in wondering just which would come next.

Seven Deadlies is very much a parody novel. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the epilogue very much sets you straight on the whole affair, but I personally found all seven tales to be delightful and fun. Totally farfetched but that’s ok. Gigi Levangie writes so well that she can get away with being farfetched. Perry is such a delightful narrator and there’s almost a certain glee in the tales she tells.

I really enjoyed the novel. I didn’t take it too seriously at all, and it was a delight. Gigi Levangie is a very good writer, as proven by the fact that I’ve loved her last two novels, and lemme tell you they’re vastly different to each other, too. I definitely recommend the novel, it’s wonderful. I wish I could read it again, because it is that good and I will eagerly be awaiting Gigi’s next novel, she’s a star!