
Plato's Cave opens with twenty-two year old Emily Branwell struggling to accept her conscious state one morning in Brisbane, Australia. She is suffering the affects of a hangover, but that turns out to be the least of her worries. A weirdly accurate horoscope prophesies that she will find a raw pork sausage in her basin. Later, she discovers thousands of dollars just lying around in her kitchen and, in the afternoon, she sights a giant split in the sky. The book follows Emily's journey as she tries - increasingly frantically - to figure what exactly is going on. Scientists and psychics alike endeavour to help her. But no one really has any answers. During this time, Emily is forced to confront the truth: Something is out to get her, and it's coming closer every minute. Yet will she escape this mysterious, supernatural entity, or will she be swallowed up in the void?
Even though I don't agree with everything in this book, I really enjoyed it because it was quirky, the characters were colourful, and the humour was just right - spontaneous, plentiful, but not overdone. I'm a very fussy reader and am seldom tempted to read ahead on books. I read twenty pages each day and that's it, because I'm also the slowest reader in the world. My reading schedule is very regimented. Nevertheless, I did something bizarre while reading this book: I read extra pages. It was really quite fascinating. I also had numerous dreams about pork sausages randomly appearing, which was slightly less pleasant, but still intriguing.
I didn't find many weaknesses in this book, and any that I did see, I freely admit, were purely subjective. I felt the ending could have more punch - a greater feeling of enlightenment. It probably could have been tied up a bit quicker too. But it's a small price to pay for a diverting read.
Plato's Cave can be bought here, at very pleasant pricing. Russell Proctor's website is also a fun place to spend some time.