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cnnr876's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
cepbreed'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
gnuoymas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
what i really enjoyed about this book is seeing how, in a small community, we are all connected to each other and that each character can have a different perspective of one situation. one Halloween hop can have the normal awkwardness of a high school dance, the secret love affair between two staff members, and the one-track mind of the demented student trying to get into the hop to ruin it all. a lot of this was hard to read because of how real it felt for them. murray plays with form through run on sentences, no quotation marks for dialogue, and a special text for talking about the pop star Bethani that helps to get into the minds of the character and empathize.
a through line in the novel is the theme of negligence. skippy, from many perspectives, was slowly corroding and breaking without any supervision by the people who were supposed to be there. similarly, we see howard the coward, a kind of adult mirror to skippy, who continues to neglect the life that is right in front of him, ultimately losing it.
the second half of the novel sees many of the characters break down and become the most unhealthy versions of themselves. we see the characters lose sight of reality, whether that be because of skippy himself or the effects of events that had led to skippy's death. it's desperate and heartbreaking. you can see how a single person's absence can effect an entire community. we see them grieve by holding onto whatever they can. this reminds me of the many directions that this novel goes. it shows how much paul murray researched for this novel. whether it be string theory or a special class of Irish soldiers in WWI, it seems that there is so much depth and knowledge that you can pick a part.
one thing that i did not like about the novel is the female characters. it seems that their portrayal was one dimensional and used for the sake of moving the male characters forward in some way. i especially didn't understand some of the logical moves that these characters take other than to be used as a pseudo-intellectual observation on youth and loyalty.
i will say that this novel is not for someone looking for a lighthearted story. it is rife with drug abuse, descriptions of eating disorders, and sexual violence. i will say it's probably easier than a little life, but something to consider when you are thinking about reading this novel.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Rape, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment