A review by oddly
Resurrection High: A Black Comedy by Joseph Sullivan, John Brhel
2.0
Despite unending trips to the cemetery, this tale of a high-school misfit doesn't dig much deeper than the surface.
I think the main issue of the story was that the point of the narrative was unclear. The beginning sets up this intriguing and slightly morbid mystery—will Eric dig up his best friend's coffin to see what's hidden inside? But then the story goes off in so many different directions, I lost the thread of what was important, of what the story was supposed to be about.
Is it about Eric grieving the loss of his friend? Is it about the mysterious history of the town? Is it a supernatural tale? Is it about the bullies Eric comes up against all the time? Is it about the girl? The story just felt untethered to me and never really picked up speed or tension. There was just too much going on and to me, the narrative threads didn't come together in a way that felt cohesive.
I also felt there were just too many stereotypes at work that weren't being used in an interesting way. Eric has a mean stepfather—check. Eric is constantly bullied by the cool, popular kids—check. The faculty never take his side because he is the weird emo kid—check. The pretty, edgy girl is into him—check. But nothing interesting or unique really came of any of these cliches being used.
The book could be described as an homage to the 90s or a nostalgia story, but in truth the narrative is nearly drowning in 90s references, to the point that they felt stuck on clumsily rather than fitting in naturally with the flow of the story. As a kid who grew up in the 90s, the references felt forced and unnatural.
My thanks to the publisher for sending me this one to read and review.
I think the main issue of the story was that the point of the narrative was unclear. The beginning sets up this intriguing and slightly morbid mystery—will Eric dig up his best friend's coffin to see what's hidden inside? But then the story goes off in so many different directions, I lost the thread of what was important, of what the story was supposed to be about.
Is it about Eric grieving the loss of his friend? Is it about the mysterious history of the town? Is it a supernatural tale? Is it about the bullies Eric comes up against all the time? Is it about the girl? The story just felt untethered to me and never really picked up speed or tension. There was just too much going on and to me, the narrative threads didn't come together in a way that felt cohesive.
I also felt there were just too many stereotypes at work that weren't being used in an interesting way. Eric has a mean stepfather—check. Eric is constantly bullied by the cool, popular kids—check. The faculty never take his side because he is the weird emo kid—check. The pretty, edgy girl is into him—check. But nothing interesting or unique really came of any of these cliches being used.
The book could be described as an homage to the 90s or a nostalgia story, but in truth the narrative is nearly drowning in 90s references, to the point that they felt stuck on clumsily rather than fitting in naturally with the flow of the story. As a kid who grew up in the 90s, the references felt forced and unnatural.
My thanks to the publisher for sending me this one to read and review.