gavreads's review against another edition
Synopsis
Alex Woods is seventeen when he is stopped at Dover by Customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes and the feeling that he’s done nothing wrong.
This is the story of how Alex goes from a twelve year old who is struck by a meteorite to being in Dover five years later and it involves an unusual friendship with the reclusive widower Mr Peterson.
Comments/Thoughts/Analysis
This caught my eye because we did an episode of The Readers on the Waterstones 11 (their selection of 2013 debut fiction) and The Universe Versus Alex Woods (TUvsAW) caught my attention. It’s not a book I’d normally pick up but he fact that it had a meteorite in it gave it a slight SF edge and the title makes Alex sound like a superhero but I went in pretty much blind.
TUvsAW is one of those stories that relies heavily on the power of the narrator. As Alex retells the story of the last five years of his life. We are dragged into wondering how Alex managed to get stopped at Dover and for a long time that really isn’t clear. But that is because Alex is letting everything unfold as it happened to him.
Now I’ve got to be very careful with spoilers. I think knowing why Alex got there before you get told would cut the little cord that keeps you reading.
It’s not that Alex’s life isn’t fascinating in its own way (he has some intriguing views and obsessions) but it’s not very dramatic. It’s really about how his relationship with Mr Peterson changes as they get to know each other and how strong Alex becomes. Exctence gives them a grandfather/grandchild relationship and their friendship is quite sweet.
And that’s the thing; it’s a sweet story. Alex is funny. It has some sad and some extremely sad moments as well. It has a cast who all have their own distinct personalities and view. Though it is a limited cast and that is one of my issues with it.
The narration of Alex is obviously selective but it feels that Extence has been slightly too sparse with Alex’s life outside the story. Even the most lonely children usually find things to do with other people every now and again. Alex’s life feels a little too insular, which niggled at me as I read it.
I also felt it had that crossover feel of The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime. Not because of their unique protagonists, though they do share that, but because a teenage reader may see themselves and their life differently after reading it.
I’m not sure they would be able to do what Alex does and I’m not sure how many people could. That is the strength of story that is being told. Alex’s voice keeps you reading but the ending makes you admire him and makes it a tale that you’re really glad you’ve read. Even it did need the occasional wiping of the eye.
Summary
It’s becoming a cliche to that say that x is a strong debut novel which shows the author has potential but TUvsAW is one of those novels.
It’s definitely a story to read for its emotional rather than logical impact. As I’ve said above, there is a sense of unreality around some of the events but not enough to pull me out of the story.
Extence is a strong writer. Alex Woods feels like a unique and powerful character and as a narrator had me laughing and crying.
Extence’s storytelling sense is strong. He has Alex skim events without you feeling cheated and slows down at the right places. In that sense it reminded me of The Song of Achilles, where Miller focuses on the emotions and pulls into the Iliad as needed and so does Extence.
Despite the occasional fuzziness of world outside the bubble of the story it’s a tale well worth telling and reading. It’s also one that makes a cross-over novel for adults and children alike and I’m curious to see that Gavin Extence writes next.
Alex Woods is seventeen when he is stopped at Dover by Customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes and the feeling that he’s done nothing wrong.
This is the story of how Alex goes from a twelve year old who is struck by a meteorite to being in Dover five years later and it involves an unusual friendship with the reclusive widower Mr Peterson.
Comments/Thoughts/Analysis
This caught my eye because we did an episode of The Readers on the Waterstones 11 (their selection of 2013 debut fiction) and The Universe Versus Alex Woods (TUvsAW) caught my attention. It’s not a book I’d normally pick up but he fact that it had a meteorite in it gave it a slight SF edge and the title makes Alex sound like a superhero but I went in pretty much blind.
TUvsAW is one of those stories that relies heavily on the power of the narrator. As Alex retells the story of the last five years of his life. We are dragged into wondering how Alex managed to get stopped at Dover and for a long time that really isn’t clear. But that is because Alex is letting everything unfold as it happened to him.
Now I’ve got to be very careful with spoilers. I think knowing why Alex got there before you get told would cut the little cord that keeps you reading.
It’s not that Alex’s life isn’t fascinating in its own way (he has some intriguing views and obsessions) but it’s not very dramatic. It’s really about how his relationship with Mr Peterson changes as they get to know each other and how strong Alex becomes. Exctence gives them a grandfather/grandchild relationship and their friendship is quite sweet.
And that’s the thing; it’s a sweet story. Alex is funny. It has some sad and some extremely sad moments as well. It has a cast who all have their own distinct personalities and view. Though it is a limited cast and that is one of my issues with it.
The narration of Alex is obviously selective but it feels that Extence has been slightly too sparse with Alex’s life outside the story. Even the most lonely children usually find things to do with other people every now and again. Alex’s life feels a little too insular, which niggled at me as I read it.
I also felt it had that crossover feel of The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime. Not because of their unique protagonists, though they do share that, but because a teenage reader may see themselves and their life differently after reading it.
I’m not sure they would be able to do what Alex does and I’m not sure how many people could. That is the strength of story that is being told. Alex’s voice keeps you reading but the ending makes you admire him and makes it a tale that you’re really glad you’ve read. Even it did need the occasional wiping of the eye.
Summary
It’s becoming a cliche to that say that x is a strong debut novel which shows the author has potential but TUvsAW is one of those novels.
It’s definitely a story to read for its emotional rather than logical impact. As I’ve said above, there is a sense of unreality around some of the events but not enough to pull me out of the story.
Extence is a strong writer. Alex Woods feels like a unique and powerful character and as a narrator had me laughing and crying.
Extence’s storytelling sense is strong. He has Alex skim events without you feeling cheated and slows down at the right places. In that sense it reminded me of The Song of Achilles, where Miller focuses on the emotions and pulls into the Iliad as needed and so does Extence.
Despite the occasional fuzziness of world outside the bubble of the story it’s a tale well worth telling and reading. It’s also one that makes a cross-over novel for adults and children alike and I’m curious to see that Gavin Extence writes next.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
4.0
The book begins with Alex being arrested for carrying through customs the strange combination of marijuana and an urn full of ashes. From this event, Alex begins to tell us his story and from the start I was completely gripped by this darkly comic and genuinely life-affirming story. The unlikely friendship between a cantankerous Vietnam veteran and Alex was expressed beautifully, particularly when they set up the book club or ”church of Kurt Vonnegut.” In fact, it reminded me that I need to read some more of Mr Vonnegut’s work! Its also a philosophical tale, that gets you thinking about the universe and raises serious questions about morality, life and death. The ending is heart-breaking but incredibly poignant – an author to watch out for.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
meganbelisle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
matritense's review
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kba76's review against another edition
5.0
This is definitely the kind of book that you're better off not knowing a lot about before you start.
I think I've found a new favourite though, and can't wait to try Extence's second novel on the grounds of how I felt about this.
The opening had me curious about where we were going, but I liked the fact that our narrator, Alex, takes us back to explain how, aged 17, he came to be in Dover port with an urn containing ashes on the front seat of his car and home-grown marijuana in the glove-box.
Alex is precocious, yet touchingly innocent. As the novel progresses he becomes the kind of character any parent would be proud to be related to.
I found parts of the novel laugh-out-loud funny. It's made me curious about Vonnegut, the writer who is clearly something of a favourite, and it made things about which I have very little interest seem fascinating.
By the end of the novel I was deeply moved by the relationship between Alex and Mr Peterson. What happens is presented logically, and without becoming mawkish. Beautiful.
I think I've found a new favourite though, and can't wait to try Extence's second novel on the grounds of how I felt about this.
The opening had me curious about where we were going, but I liked the fact that our narrator, Alex, takes us back to explain how, aged 17, he came to be in Dover port with an urn containing ashes on the front seat of his car and home-grown marijuana in the glove-box.
Alex is precocious, yet touchingly innocent. As the novel progresses he becomes the kind of character any parent would be proud to be related to.
I found parts of the novel laugh-out-loud funny. It's made me curious about Vonnegut, the writer who is clearly something of a favourite, and it made things about which I have very little interest seem fascinating.
By the end of the novel I was deeply moved by the relationship between Alex and Mr Peterson. What happens is presented logically, and without becoming mawkish. Beautiful.
kalem's review
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I think I have found another favourite book to never remove from my collection.
I bought this book in 2013 when it first came out. I tried to read part of it then but couldn't get through it for whatever reason. It came with me on a trip to Thailand, and it unfortunately was the victim of a spilled bottle of Chang. It has been packed and unpacked with my countless apartment moves, but so some reason I have never donated it.
Well I am so glad that I never got rid of it. This story was so engaging, and so well written. The narrator is a very precocious child, with a wild array of interests who's path one day gets crossed by a cantankerous old man (I kept thinking of Carl from Up).
I never thought I would enjoy a book where conversations about Nietzche are sprinkled in between those of neurobiology, astronomy and Vonnegut.
Definitely a wild ride, and a tear-jerker.
I bought this book in 2013 when it first came out. I tried to read part of it then but couldn't get through it for whatever reason. It came with me on a trip to Thailand, and it unfortunately was the victim of a spilled bottle of Chang. It has been packed and unpacked with my countless apartment moves, but so some reason I have never donated it.
Well I am so glad that I never got rid of it. This story was so engaging, and so well written. The narrator is a very precocious child, with a wild array of interests who's path one day gets crossed by a cantankerous old man (I kept thinking of Carl from Up).
I never thought I would enjoy a book where conversations about Nietzche are sprinkled in between those of neurobiology, astronomy and Vonnegut.
Definitely a wild ride, and a tear-jerker.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Cursing
thesaraoh's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
allisonstroy's review against another edition
1.0
I loved the idea for this book, and then it didn't go anywhere for me. There's basically no plot, and the characters are completely flat and undeveloped. Eliot summed it up by describing the book as "completely meh."
cajap96's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5