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A review by serru
One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva
2.0
It's the author's first book and it really shows. There was lots of telling instead of showing, some unrealistic dialogue (there were many parts that sounded less like real people's conversations and more like the author's mouthpiece to send a specific message to his readers), inconsistent characterization (Alek going from being practically scared of Jake to suddenly pulling off a somewhat mean practical joke on him at the lunch table, for example), and just overall simplistic writing that frequently focused on explaining unnecessary details (such as basically taking us on a tour of NYC) while barely fleshing out major characters beyond "he's so cool because he skateboards and starts food fights but he's actually got a really deep, sensitive side because he listens to Rufus Wainwright".
Speaking of Ethan, I felt he came off less as a cool, older guy the way the author clearly intended him to, and more like a bad influence for Alek. I don't have a problem with kids skipping school occasionally but there was no indication that Ethan actually cared about his academics at all. And all his little tricks for getting around the city on just $10 made him seem more like a sneaky person rather than a respectable, streetwise guy. Especially that bit about "returning" a brand new book to the bookstore in order to get trick the cashier into giving him some store credit -- that was just outright theft.
Speaking of Ethan, I felt he came off less as a cool, older guy the way the author clearly intended him to, and more like a bad influence for Alek. I don't have a problem with kids skipping school occasionally but there was no indication that Ethan actually cared about his academics at all. And all his little tricks for getting around the city on just $10 made him seem more like a sneaky person rather than a respectable, streetwise guy. Especially that bit about "returning" a brand new book to the bookstore in order to get trick the cashier into giving him some store credit -- that was just outright theft.