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onceandfuturereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If Catch-22 (think Minderbinder's deranged clone) and The Chocolate War (think open secrets and untouchable elite) had a baby, it would be called "Skippy Dies." If you can handle 661 pages of the meandering interests of teenagers coupled with the senseless actions of the adults tasked with raising them, then this book is for you. And yes, that is a dare.
This book juxtaposes some of my favorite things: science and paganism...and also, adults and teenagers.
Murray's writing style is unique in that it immediately transports the reader to another world. The characters' voices rang through the pages and I carried their heartaches with me throughout the day. Every night I would read a few chapters and find myself astonished at the persistent proof of a simple claim: that adults are far more clueless than kids. It's been demonstrated time and time again ("when you grow up, your heart dies," from Breakfast Club comes to mind) but it's the type of theme that deserves its own epic.
I wish there was a sequel.
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation
pun1sher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a dark, dark comedy where the bad guys get away with what they've done, kids go crazy, and adults are all liars or sad or both. Skippy dies is about everything and nothing at all; at moments it reads fast, on other occasions its slow and painful to get through. It takes effort to finish this book because it's weird illogical unsettling and resembles a dense mud puddle. I'm not sure if those struggles are exactly worth it for everyone, but I'm not going to regret the time spent finding out why Skippy died and what happened after. Those 600 something pages are a tangle of horny teenage boys, private schools, disturbing secrets of the Catholic priests, failed inventions, grief, toxic relationships, donuts, and whatnot.
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Infidelity, and Cultural appropriation
homophobic slurs, vulgar discussion of sexual intercourse, fantasies of noncon/rape (including child rape), nword usage by white characters, attempted druggingcepbreed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Songs:
- Undercover Martyn - Two Door Cinema Club
- Parking Lot - HUNNY
- Sex Sells - Lovejoy
Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer
alingtori's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
At the center of it all is of course, the titular character Skippy, whose death we encounter at the start of the book. Despite having his name in the title, Skippy doesn't really stand out much in the story. Instead, we get to hear from a wide set of characters--from students, teachers, priests, school administrator, and even a staff of a diner. Various themes and topics are also discussed--from string theory to pop culture to drug abuse. This might seem chaotic, but the author manages to piece them all together into a story.
It's funny, it's dark, it's informative, it's thoughtful, it's distasteful. But isn't that what life is?
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Cancer and Fatphobia