Crash

Written by J G Ballard

Narrated by Roger Hampton

An underground classic, Crash explores the disturbing potentialities of contemporary society's increasing dependence on technology as intermediary in human relations. In this hallucinatory novel, the car provides the hellish tableau in which Vaughan, a "TV scientist" turned "nightmare angel of the highways," experiments with erotic atrocities among auto crash victims, each more sinister then the last. James Ballard, his friend and fellow obsessive, tells the story of this twisted visionary as he careens rapidly toward his own demise in an internationally orchestrated car crash with Elizabeth Taylor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781980011286

J G Ballard

J. G. Ballard was born in 1930 in Shanghai, where his father was a businessman. After internment in a civilian prison camp, he and his family returned to England in 1946. He published his first novel, The Drowned World, in 1961. His 1984 bestseller Empire of the Sun won the Guardian Fiction Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His memoir Miracles of Life was published in 2008. J. G. Ballard died in 2009.

Reviews for Crash

[poeta neoyorquino · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Continuing with J.G. Ballard, I just finished Crash and to be honest, it has been a difficult read, sinister, obsessive, very twisted. Very well written, that's for sure. Not recommended for sensitive stomachs, I didn't enjoy reading it, but well, it's read now. (Translated from Spanish)

[krau0098 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was a fan of McMann’s Wake series and of her middle grade Unwanteds series. This book was very similar to the Wake series in style and content (not quite as creepy though). This was a pretty simple story about a teenage girl that starts having a vision of an explosion that will kill the boy she loves. Most of the story is dedicated to her trying to make people believe her and trying to do something to stop it.

The story was very simple and predictable. It was a quick read. It was okay but I wasn't all that impressed. The whole thing was kind "eh" for me. There aren’t many characters in here, the story is not at all complex. The story is mainly driven by Jules (our heroine) trying to find a way to change the vision she keeps having. It’s a short read but I didn’t enjoy it a ton; there just wasn’t a lot here.

Overall this was an okay read but nothing special. The story was simple and predictable and the characters were fairly simple as well. The whole premise was also a very simple version of a story where a character can see the future and tries to change it. I really didn’t enjoy this much and don't plan on reading more of the series.

[bdartnall_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A tightly woven, suspenseful story of Julia Demarco (hint hint almost "Juliet") who is at first startled by a strange vision of a snowplow crashing into a restaurant, & then increasingly panicked by its relentless appearance : is she going insane? Part of a close knit Italian family running a pizzeria, she just happens to adore her childhood friend Sawyer Angotti, even though they haven't really spoken to each other since the start of 7th grade ...the 2 families are rivals in the pizza business and the grandparents - parents fought for the rights to a secret sauce family recipe that the Angottis won. At least that's all 'Jules' knows about the two families' past. And she's forbidden to speak to or see Sawyer. As Julia continues to puzzle out the details of her horrifying vision of the crash, she realizes the restaurant is actually the Angotti's & Sawyer may be one of the dead she continues to see in body bags in the snow; the story's pace really ramps up when Julia decides to believe in her vision & determines to do something to alter this future accident, one that may cause so many deaths. As she desperately figures out when the accident is supposed to occur & how she can prevent it, her family's history is also revealed- with some surprising twists. Funny & sweet supporting characters in her brother & sister, & a genuine romance - childhood friends who are meant to still be friends, and more , but who aren't able to cross boundaries both families have set for each other until Julia bravely- rashly- decides to reach out to Sawyer.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This turned out to be a good, little read. There was enough suspense to keep the plot interesting and I enjoyed following Jules and her detective skills. While I wasn't that keen on Sawyer, the boy Jules has loved for most of her life, I did love Rowan and Trey, Jules's siblings. The banter and relationship between the three of them was refreshing and believable. The ending was intriguing enough for me to search for the next book.

[nycke137 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

another excellent book by one of my favorite authors

[angelina0justice · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first and most important reason it gets five stars, I couldn't put it down. I literally ran through the house getting ready for work because I lingered over this book too long in the morning.

I can't entirely explain why I was so thoroughly hooked. The characters and the setting are excellent. The voice is authentic and the pace and tenor are consistent. But there's something more, something other.

It was a short,easy read. And I absolutely loved the way she did her cliffhanger. The cover of the book made it clear that it was the beginning of a series. So it was no surprise that the story was "to be continued." What was surprising was how deftly she left it hanging yet gave it a satisfying sense of closure.

I really can't say more without including a spoiler.

[bethie9paige · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book had promise, but for me, it was unfulfilled potential. The central idea for the novel was about a girl who has a vision about a car crash and after it not going away she realises it must be true; so she tries to stop it, without looking insane.

The reason she tries so hard to stop it is because in one of the nine body bags she sees as a result of the crash, the face of her childhood crush is present. She still has feelings for this guy and she believes that if her vision is true that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't try to save him.

See, the premise seems quite interesting, but it was the execution where this book had it's downfall. The writing was simplistic and didn't seem to suit the story very well. The plot was undeveloped and lacked depth. It all just kind of happened with no reason why. I just felt like her character could've been developed further and maybe a background of why she is having this vision. Is it due to a mental illness(this is implied throughout the book but it seems unlikely or at least wasn't explained fully) or some kind of power she has? I think it could've improved if her "power" had more of an impact in the storytelling. For example when she asks her Psych teacher about psychic abilities being linked to mental illness and he says to do some research. That kind of research would've enriched the story and made it more interesting. Also if she had more than one vision, like she had tiny visions about small incidents like tripping on the ice on SuperBowl Sunday. For me, the story was developed enough and it is the reason why I didn't like it too much; it was kind of average.

[lprybylo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First book in the new series “Visons”. Jules and Sawyer families own two rival pizzerias in the same town. A fight over a secret recipes has kept them apart until Jules starts having visions. Shades of Romeo & Juliet

[bornbookish · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting concept but slow paced, fairly predictable, with average characters. Your typical Romeo & Juliet style romance with Jules and Sawyer being forbidden to see each other because their families run waring restaurants. As for the visions, one day all of a sudden Jules sees a vision and it just keeps playing over and over on every billboard, TV screen, window. Not only was the cause of Jules visions never explained, but it also got extremely monotonous to have her describe the same vision over and over for 200 pages. While the second book is on my TBR, I'm in no rush to read it.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: Another engaging read in a contemporary world that draw’s out the imagination.

Opening Sentence: My sophomore psych teacher, Mr. Polselli, says knowledge is crucial to understanding the workings of the human brain, but I swear to dog, I don’t want any more knowledge about this.

The Review:

I love Lisa McMann. I’ve loved her since I read the Wake series. (If you haven’t read them, please do so.) Crash is the first in two books of the Vision series. McMann brings me into another contemporary world based on one’s perception. She has managed to bring me into the mind of a young Jules Demarco. She brought me into her world of visions, and with that the ugly truth of knowing the future.

Jules Demarco is the middle child of a family lost in translation. She works in her family restaurant out of obligation and loyalty, and with that she feels shunned by her peers. Jules once had a friend, but because of a rivalry with the Angotti family, they no longer are friends. Jules has been seeing visions. She has been seeing visions of a crash for a while now. It replays like a recorded media clip, playing on a loop. When Jules starts to recognize bits and pieces of the vision, the frequency intensifies. Will Jules be able to understand the vision in time to stop it from happening?

I adored Jules. She is a main character to love. She’s normal but secretly one-of-a-kind. She isn’t someone that screams “Take notice of me!” but her actions speak volumes. She was a lot of fun to get to know. Jules took me through many emotions, and most of them were engaging.

I loved the way the story of Crash played out. And I absolutely loved the plot. It’s unique to McMann and she does it so well. The contemporary setting is just the background, and the elements around the characters’ lives are what takes center stage. She places items and particular details around the story, always managing to bring that detail to life.

I can’t speak about the other characters without fully spoiling the story. They each play a key part to Jules’ life, some more than others. The relationships that she has with each one give a glimpse into who she is. It’s human interaction brought in with a little science fiction.

McMann knows how to bring the reader into the story bit by bit. She knows how to engage the reader just by a setting, or even by a character description. Throughout the whole story, I wanted more, anxious to turn the page. And things like that is why I love McMann’s work.

I really enjoyed Crash. I inhaled each word, taking in everything McMann had to offer.

Notable Scene:

I feel my throat tighten and burn as tears run down the back of it instead of down my cheeks. I sit outside Angotti’s and try to give myself a pep talk. What’s the worst thing that could happen if I go inside and talk to Sawyer? In my mind, I list them.

Five bad things that could happen:

1. I go in and tell Sawyer and he thinks I’m insane and tells everybody, and my life is over

2. Sawyer’s parents shoot me dead on sight (not a bad option at this point, actually, now that I think about it)

3. The whole fucking crash happens and the place explodes while I’m inside

4. That’s really all I can think of at this point because of all the panic and such

5. As if three bad things weren’t enough

My phone rings while I’m sitting there, and it’s Trey. I squeeze my eyes shut and take a breath, then turn off the phone and shove it into my pocket. I look over at the last delivery, growing cold on the seat next to me. “Sorry, Mrs. Rodriguez,” I say. “I hope you don’t stay up too late waiting for it.” I wonder idly what my father will do when I get back home after not delivering it. It’s weird how little I care about that now.

Finally I grab the handle and shove the car door open. I step out into the slush and close the door softly behind me, and then walk stoically toward Angotti’s front door.

FTC Advisory: Simon Pulse provided me with a copy of Crash. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[themadhatters_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great quick read that left me guessing until the very end. The relationship between Jules and Sawyer felt very true to how teenagers really think and kept me interested the whole time. Definitely a book to recommend to otherwise reluctant readers (as are all of McMann's books).

[4sarad_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book was immensely stupid. The summary sounded pretty good, and I liked the cover, and I liked the book Wake, so I thought I'd give it a try. The entire story was predictable... absolutely no surprises (except for the last page which made me laugh out loud with its stupidity). The main character is annoying and stupid and the whole reason the two families are fighting is just ridiculous. The constant "five reasons why" and "Oh my dogs" got on my nerves A LOT. Really disappointed in this one.

[tfs93 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I actually liked this one. I had read McMann before and just wasn't that impressed, but this one grabbed me from the start and wouldn't let go. I found myself not wanting to stop reading. The storyline is very fast moving and the characters are well written. I especially liked the family dynamic and the family business was very interesting. I enjoyed the changing aspects of the story and was holding on tight as the ride kept unfolding. I was impressed with the ending and didn't see the twist coming. I am looking forward to the next one. Consider me a new fan of McMann, this is my new favorite.

[pnh002 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After seeing so many mixed reviews about this book, I needed to find out for my own whether it would be something I liked or not. And lo and behold, I did. Don't follow EVERY review you see.
A long time ago, before I started blogging, I read Wake by Lisa McMann. In short, I HATED it. Her writing style worked my last nerves. It seemed as if she was trying wayyyyyy too hard to be the age she portrayed her character and in the end she still failed miserably. This book is unfortunately the same way. I just can't make myself like her writing.
Because of this, the fact that I wasn't exactly blown away by this book didn't surprise me. What did surprise me is the fact that it had so much potential to be a great book, but it just didn't. It turned out feeling like a modern day Romeo and Juliet with a small twist of Juliet seeing visions. Sound weird? Yes, that's exactly what it was.
Now there were a few things I did like. Mainly the characters. And Sawyer was the number one thing on my character like list. I'm not sure why I liked him so much.... Well besides the forbidden love. I really have a soft sport for it. And this one was quite funny. (This is why I mentioned Romeo and Juliet earlier lol Warring families and all smh)
I also liked how fast paced this was. The chapters were short and because of this it kept me saying Just one more chapter" and ending up reading it until it was over. If it hadn't been for the short chapters making it feel like the story was moving quickly, I'm not sure that I would have finished it. It had the potential to be a gripping, fast paced, mystery where she had to learn about all the clues and then piece it together and save them in the nick of time from the body bags that keep popping up in her visions. But uhhhhhhhhh of course not. That was definitely wishful thinking. Although the premise is cool, I found myself caring about her family's and her crush's business rather than her vision. That's how I KNOW that I wasn't too intrigued.
But the ending! Wow. The best part was the 2 am part. And then the set up for book 2 now has me super intrigued to see what else is to come from this series. Let's hope the writing gets better....
All in all, it wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't a good one either. It was a fast paced novel that kept me thumbing through page after page and feigning for a slice of pizza.