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A review by siobhancollierauthor
Lobsters by Tom Ellen, Lucy Ivison
3.0
**this review contains spoilers**
I first came across this book after Tom and Lucy were on a panel at YALC last year. I thought they were wonderful people, and I couldn't wait to read this book.
Which is why it sucks that I'm not enamoured by it.
Don't get me wrong, the dialogue is great. The self-depreciating humour, especially between Robin and Sam, is my favourite thing in this book. And realistic dialogue is hard, but they nailed it. I could also picture Stella's house, the trip to Kavos, even the festival they went to. In terms of technical abilities, Tom and Lucy are right up there.
But. Ugh, I hate this but. But the other reviews have it. It's *too* sex-obsessed. To the point that the teenagers become caricatures, which is a little insulting to their target audience. Repetitions of words like minge kind of grated. And as amusing as they were, as suited to each other as Sam and Hannah seemed at first, eventually one too many blocks appeared and they just became horrible, horrible people. I didn't care, in the end, and that sucks because I cared to begin with.
I think, if I had my hands on this story, on these characters, I would have made some things different. Like, when they spend the night together at the festival, that's it, they're together. And sex takes a backseat as they negotiate how a relationship plays out, especially one so close to their A level results, and university. Perhaps Hannah could have confronted Stella in a less contrived setting, and that resolution could have come about without the overdramatic "Stella's been drugged!" plotline thrown in the last ten pages. And then when they finally slept together at the end, you could understand why they would both be so patient with each other as they figured it out, it would come from a place of love rather than two semi-awful people settling, as it came across to me. Not to rose-tint it, but to make it more plausible a storyline, for two more likeable protagonists.
Having said all this, I'm not put off of reading either author again. Writing in collaboration is hard and I admire them for trying. I just feel like this is the kind of novel that shows just how hard it can be for two different people to try to write the same story.
I first came across this book after Tom and Lucy were on a panel at YALC last year. I thought they were wonderful people, and I couldn't wait to read this book.
Which is why it sucks that I'm not enamoured by it.
Don't get me wrong, the dialogue is great. The self-depreciating humour, especially between Robin and Sam, is my favourite thing in this book. And realistic dialogue is hard, but they nailed it. I could also picture Stella's house, the trip to Kavos, even the festival they went to. In terms of technical abilities, Tom and Lucy are right up there.
But. Ugh, I hate this but. But the other reviews have it. It's *too* sex-obsessed. To the point that the teenagers become caricatures, which is a little insulting to their target audience. Repetitions of words like minge kind of grated. And as amusing as they were, as suited to each other as Sam and Hannah seemed at first, eventually one too many blocks appeared and they just became horrible, horrible people. I didn't care, in the end, and that sucks because I cared to begin with.
I think, if I had my hands on this story, on these characters, I would have made some things different. Like, when they spend the night together at the festival, that's it, they're together. And sex takes a backseat as they negotiate how a relationship plays out, especially one so close to their A level results, and university. Perhaps Hannah could have confronted Stella in a less contrived setting, and that resolution could have come about without the overdramatic "Stella's been drugged!" plotline thrown in the last ten pages. And then when they finally slept together at the end, you could understand why they would both be so patient with each other as they figured it out, it would come from a place of love rather than two semi-awful people settling, as it came across to me. Not to rose-tint it, but to make it more plausible a storyline, for two more likeable protagonists.
Having said all this, I'm not put off of reading either author again. Writing in collaboration is hard and I admire them for trying. I just feel like this is the kind of novel that shows just how hard it can be for two different people to try to write the same story.