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A review by marilynw
Boomer1 by Daniel Torday
4.0
Boomer1 is partly narrated by Mark, a deeply in debt thirty-something year old, who feels he deserves to have the career and money he wants and since he can't have that, he decides to incite a revolution to make Baby Boomers give up their jobs, to those younger than them. Actually, Mark is so unmotivated to achieve anything, that the incitement happens despite himself. He writes the words and then other people living off their parents, in their basements, take up the cause and make it bigger.
Another narrator is Cassie, Mark's ex girlfriend who is blindsided by his marriage proposal, complete with a $14,000 ring, that threw Mark deeper into debt. Cassie works hard, doesn't spend time feeling sorry for herself despite her romantic relationships not always going her way and being dumped from a band. Cassie is creative and makes the most of her creativity, flourishing as Mark flounders. Her refusal to marry Mark is cited as one of his reasons for his rebellion.
I went from thinking this was a three star book for me, to it turning into a four star book, by the end. Being a person who does not read music or make music, some of the very long thoughts and sentences by the three narrators, on their feelings about music, really bogged down the book for me. But later in the book, I began to really enjoy the narration of Julia, the mom of Mark. I couldn't relate to her younger self but I was drawn to her older self, as she struggled with deafness and the hurtful and destructive words and acts of her son (despite not being deaf or having children myself).
The other part of the book that I had my doubts about was that I wasn't sure if the book was going to take Mark's case up and run with it. I didn't see how it could be turned into the type of crusade that he was after, but to my delight, it was treated as it would be treated in real life. I won't say what happens to Mark (which is a non event...the very thing that Mark deserves). Mark doesn't even get a voice in the last part of the book, which is also the appropriate way to treat him, in my opinion.
I'm glad I read the book and will read more books by Daniel Torday. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Another narrator is Cassie, Mark's ex girlfriend who is blindsided by his marriage proposal, complete with a $14,000 ring, that threw Mark deeper into debt. Cassie works hard, doesn't spend time feeling sorry for herself despite her romantic relationships not always going her way and being dumped from a band. Cassie is creative and makes the most of her creativity, flourishing as Mark flounders. Her refusal to marry Mark is cited as one of his reasons for his rebellion.
I went from thinking this was a three star book for me, to it turning into a four star book, by the end. Being a person who does not read music or make music, some of the very long thoughts and sentences by the three narrators, on their feelings about music, really bogged down the book for me. But later in the book, I began to really enjoy the narration of Julia, the mom of Mark. I couldn't relate to her younger self but I was drawn to her older self, as she struggled with deafness and the hurtful and destructive words and acts of her son (despite not being deaf or having children myself).
The other part of the book that I had my doubts about was that I wasn't sure if the book was going to take Mark's case up and run with it. I didn't see how it could be turned into the type of crusade that he was after, but to my delight, it was treated as it would be treated in real life. I won't say what happens to Mark (which is a non event...the very thing that Mark deserves). Mark doesn't even get a voice in the last part of the book, which is also the appropriate way to treat him, in my opinion.
I'm glad I read the book and will read more books by Daniel Torday. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.