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A review by reginas_books
All About Lulu by Jonathan Evison
4.0
All About Lulu was a quick read for me - I picked it up, and in the span of about 19 hours, had finished it. I felt the obsession; I simply couldn't leave it alone. But even though I couldn't wait to find out "what happened next", there are both many flaws and many redeeming qualities to this novel.
The side characters are charming in their own bumbling ways, and the subplots of their lives give the book a homely, simple tone. The writing style makes certain scenes surreal, but in a way that the reader can enjoy.
Will Miller isn't a particularly endearing speaker, and it is hard to see what he loves so much about his half-sister Lulu. In fact, his obsession is almost unfathomable.
But I think this inexplicable lust is partially the appeal of the novel, that the reader gets such an intimate glimpse in the way that the brain of a going-nowhere-fast teenage boy works.
In the beginning of the novel, shortly after meeting Lulu, Will says, "Can you fathom my fullness? Can you understand my gratitude? Can you see all that Lulu gave me?"
And the reader'a answer is really... No, we can't. And more because of that, instead of despite of it, All About Lulu is a riveting novel.
The side characters are charming in their own bumbling ways, and the subplots of their lives give the book a homely, simple tone. The writing style makes certain scenes surreal, but in a way that the reader can enjoy.
Will Miller isn't a particularly endearing speaker, and it is hard to see what he loves so much about his half-sister Lulu. In fact, his obsession is almost unfathomable.
But I think this inexplicable lust is partially the appeal of the novel, that the reader gets such an intimate glimpse in the way that the brain of a going-nowhere-fast teenage boy works.
In the beginning of the novel, shortly after meeting Lulu, Will says, "Can you fathom my fullness? Can you understand my gratitude? Can you see all that Lulu gave me?"
And the reader'a answer is really... No, we can't. And more because of that, instead of despite of it, All About Lulu is a riveting novel.