sc104906's review against another edition
1.0
This is a weird psychological thriller that I had an extremely difficult time getting through. Will believes he is meant to be a pilot, but he is really good at woodworking. Only he isn't consciously aware he is making wooden sculptures..(weird)? Somehow his sculptures predict suicides of his fellow classmates. It was not for me.
amandabock's review against another edition
1.0
Will is a tormented teen dealing with the deaths of his father, stepmother, and several classmates in this obtuse story. I remember hearing people talking about this book when it came out, and figured it was worth a read, since it won a Printz honor, and I've liked his other books. When I finished, I had to look at the reviews to figure out what the hell anyone liked about it. The PW review summed up my feelings precisely: "this airless novel does not reward the effort required to penetrate it."
I found the second-person narrative to be a bit off-putting in the beginning, but not insurmountable. The main question posed by the novel, can you ever know what's in the mind of another person, is potentially profound, but the probing here is clumsy and unsatisfying. I found myself hoping that he was a serial killer. THAT would have been much more satisfying; a perfect picture of a truly disturbed individual.
I found the second-person narrative to be a bit off-putting in the beginning, but not insurmountable. The main question posed by the novel, can you ever know what's in the mind of another person, is potentially profound, but the probing here is clumsy and unsatisfying. I found myself hoping that he was a serial killer. THAT would have been much more satisfying; a perfect picture of a truly disturbed individual.
lemon_drop's review against another edition
3.0
This was not an easy book....
A mystery/grief story told in 2nd person.
It's one that needs to 'sit' awhile with you.
A mystery/grief story told in 2nd person.
It's one that needs to 'sit' awhile with you.
keyanaw's review against another edition
I liked that Lynch let the reader get inside Will's head. And I loved the double meaning of his name. I couldn't get past the plot holes though. I wish the author would have focused on Will's internal conflict more than the suicides. I couldn't really understand what the significance of the suicides was or the point of the other character Angela. It seemed like Will was in a fight for himself against himself. If the book had been all about that I think it would've been five stars
pagesforages's review against another edition
3.0
It's strange, I can't decide if I liked this book or not. I can only be certain that I didn't dislike it.
It takes a few pages to get used to the narrative, but once you do it's easier to read. There were times when I really enjoyed it and times I didn't however it was more about the style than the content, that seemed to be flat, dry and dead. There wasn't enough emotion or description, maybe that was on purpose given the subject matter but, for whatever reason, I just can't decide with this book.
It takes a few pages to get used to the narrative, but once you do it's easier to read. There were times when I really enjoyed it and times I didn't however it was more about the style than the content, that seemed to be flat, dry and dead. There wasn't enough emotion or description, maybe that was on purpose given the subject matter but, for whatever reason, I just can't decide with this book.
beksicles's review against another edition
3.0
I understand the things people say about this book and how they don't get how it won an award. I acted the same when I first started to read it but after a while, the confusing style of writing and the conflicts he faced became relatable. The thoughts that I read kind of became my thoughts and it wasn't so difficult to follow. I really enjoyed this book.
clwalters's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting. Written in 2nd person which is inventive. It wasn't my favorite, but it was enjoyable.
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