Critique by Meek
4.5 out of five stars, Superb!
Victor McGlothin’s novel Sinful is full of delicious scandal, deception and manipulation, but is also surprisingly inspirational. In this believable tale of hope, the marriage of Chandelle and Marvin Hutchins is threatened by miscommunication, financial strain, trickery, and seduction. When it seems all is lost, McGlothin tastefully weaves in the mysterious hand of God to bring about redemption, without being overtly religious in his writing.
The story takes place in the author’s own hometown of Dallas, TX. McGlothin describes in believable detail places like the grimy ghetto, the posh estates of the upper-class, and the glitz of the downtown nightclub scene. The stark contrasts of the settings play well into the way McGlothin describes his main characters.
Chandelle Hutchins is the upwardly-mobile wife of Marvin Hutchins. Though she came from the streets and has a sordid past, she is determined to distance herself from her past by being a devoted wife, a faithful church-goer—and an avid shopper. Chandelle has a problem; she is hopelessly materialistic, trading poverty for debt. Her desire for nice things is only the beginning of problems in her marriage.
Marvin is the hard-working, devoted husband. He prides himself on being a diligent worker, but his job as manager at Appliance World does not represent his full potential, at least not in Chandelle’s mind. He is financially responsible and committed to keeping to the household budget, a budget that Chandelle casually ignores. When he and Chandelle decide to buy a house, and discover that their funds don’t match Chandelle’s dream home, he is determined to find a way to make it work, but the marriage becomes strained in the process.
Things become more complicated when Dior, Chandelle’s street-wise cousin, shows up at their front door with a duffle bag of clothes and no where to go. Dior is trouble. Her manipulative ways and intense self-centeredness know no bounds. Though Chandelle is down to help her cousin out, Dior is loyal only to herself. Secretly envious of Chandelle’s life, Dior decides to take advantage of her cousin’s weakened marriage and claim Marvin as her own.
Several other characters make this novel complete, including Dooney, Dior’s insightful twin brother and reformed thug, Marvin’s attractive new boss, Kim Hightower, and Dave, the wise old bar owner. At times, however, I felt that McGlothin, a black man, might have been using his main male characters (Marvin, Dave and Dooney) to make a social commentary about black men not being “all bad,” as the male characters in the novel were far more dignified than the main female characters.
Overall, however, the situations were very real and believable, showing just how easily situations can and do spiral out of control. Most people can relate to the problems associated with less-than-above-board friends and relatives. However, I did have to ask myself, why Chandelle was not at all suspicious of her cousin Dior. When it comes to their men, most women would be at least a little suspicious of any woman living in their home, related or not, especially if that woman is anything like Dior.
Victor McGlothin’s writing style is impeccable in Sinful, and the dialogue flowed very naturally. The plot was interesting from start to end and it was easy to become emotionally involved in the story. The descriptions made the book come alive, and for these reasons I would strongly recommend that this novel be converted into a screenplay for a blockbuster film (starring Taye Diggs and Gabrielle Union as the happy couple, and Kerry Washington as Dior).
The story takes place in the author’s own hometown of Dallas, TX. McGlothin describes in believable detail places like the grimy ghetto, the posh estates of the upper-class, and the glitz of the downtown nightclub scene. The stark contrasts of the settings play well into the way McGlothin describes his main characters.
Chandelle Hutchins is the upwardly-mobile wife of Marvin Hutchins. Though she came from the streets and has a sordid past, she is determined to distance herself from her past by being a devoted wife, a faithful church-goer—and an avid shopper. Chandelle has a problem; she is hopelessly materialistic, trading poverty for debt. Her desire for nice things is only the beginning of problems in her marriage.
Marvin is the hard-working, devoted husband. He prides himself on being a diligent worker, but his job as manager at Appliance World does not represent his full potential, at least not in Chandelle’s mind. He is financially responsible and committed to keeping to the household budget, a budget that Chandelle casually ignores. When he and Chandelle decide to buy a house, and discover that their funds don’t match Chandelle’s dream home, he is determined to find a way to make it work, but the marriage becomes strained in the process.
Things become more complicated when Dior, Chandelle’s street-wise cousin, shows up at their front door with a duffle bag of clothes and no where to go. Dior is trouble. Her manipulative ways and intense self-centeredness know no bounds. Though Chandelle is down to help her cousin out, Dior is loyal only to herself. Secretly envious of Chandelle’s life, Dior decides to take advantage of her cousin’s weakened marriage and claim Marvin as her own.
Several other characters make this novel complete, including Dooney, Dior’s insightful twin brother and reformed thug, Marvin’s attractive new boss, Kim Hightower, and Dave, the wise old bar owner. At times, however, I felt that McGlothin, a black man, might have been using his main male characters (Marvin, Dave and Dooney) to make a social commentary about black men not being “all bad,” as the male characters in the novel were far more dignified than the main female characters.
Overall, however, the situations were very real and believable, showing just how easily situations can and do spiral out of control. Most people can relate to the problems associated with less-than-above-board friends and relatives. However, I did have to ask myself, why Chandelle was not at all suspicious of her cousin Dior. When it comes to their men, most women would be at least a little suspicious of any woman living in their home, related or not, especially if that woman is anything like Dior.
Victor McGlothin’s writing style is impeccable in Sinful, and the dialogue flowed very naturally. The plot was interesting from start to end and it was easy to become emotionally involved in the story. The descriptions made the book come alive, and for these reasons I would strongly recommend that this novel be converted into a screenplay for a blockbuster film (starring Taye Diggs and Gabrielle Union as the happy couple, and Kerry Washington as Dior).
Stay tuned for my review of Sinful Too, the sequel. I can't wait to read it!
Scoring Summary
| AREA | PTS | COMMENT |
| Overall Story | 1.0 | Great from start to finish. |
| Writing Style | 1.0 | Impeccably written |
| Setting | 1.0 | I thought I was there. |
| Characters | 0.5 | The men were too good to be true. (half point awarded) |
| Plot | 1.0 | Very creative, with lots of drama |
| TOTAL | 4.5 | Superb! |
