A review by karen_k77
Defect by Will Weaver
4.0
I really liked this book. It was, in a nutshell, different.
David is a fifteen-year-old with a few mutations; he's 'ugly,' has 'hearing aids' and has this really bad smell (which, I have to say, was the only defect of his that I could imagine myself being slightly put-off by. That sounds shallow of me, but I'm just being brutally honest with myself). But what he hasn't told anyone is that there's one more mutation; his wings. Or rather, flaps of skin under his arms that allow him to glide and are probably the source of the humid, pungent odor he gives off.
What I absolutely LOVED about David was how much his personality surprised me. People who are ostracized or taunted for being different are usually angry or depressed or meek or some combination. But David was hilarious. He was witty, smart, not afraid to play tricks on those who bullied him. He was admittedly kind of shut-off, but he definitely broke any stereotypes I had set in my brain for the typical 'outcast.'
Cheetah was...okay. Very flat. She wasn't explained at all. So she just...didn't make an impression on me. David's foster parents seemed cool. The perfect balance between saints (because they could love him for who he was) and flawed humans (because they were still a bit weirded out by him, which is only normal). Doctor Ramaswamy was okay, too. Very flat. And any other character is just too boring or inconsequential to mention.
The plot wasn't really a plot, so much as the sequence of events of this kid's life. It was a life-story, not a beginning-middle-end story. And I can appreciate those. It felt more real.
And it dealt with more realistic issues. He feels kind of isolated from his friends and foster parents, which is understandable. He doubts the existence of God, which is understandable (his whole THERE IS A GOD revelation was the only part of the book I didn't really like. It was just weird for me). And he has doubts as to whether or not he should get corrective surgery for his face and wings. All of this is understandable, and it creates a sort of exaggerated version of the feelings 'normal' teenagers might be feeling. So it was a creative medical fiction as well as a relatable realistic fiction. Which is awesome.
The writing was great. Perhaps one of my favorite styles I've ever seen. Weaver managed to be descriptive without prattling on. And I say that about a lot of writers, but this guy perfected the technique. If he had a metaphor to give, he only used a sentence or two and then moved on. But it worked perfectly. That sentence or two conveyed a beautiful simile or whatever in such a way that I was left thinking I wish I could be that deep and thoughtful.
Overall, very good book. A nice short read, nothing too overwhelming or lengthy, which is nice. I definitely recommend this to people who enjoy personal or moral gray areas, or contemplating the debate concerning beauty's increasing importance in our society (although it deals more with David than it does with society and beauty). This book is definitely worth your time.
David is a fifteen-year-old with a few mutations; he's 'ugly,' has 'hearing aids' and has this really bad smell (which, I have to say, was the only defect of his that I could imagine myself being slightly put-off by. That sounds shallow of me, but I'm just being brutally honest with myself). But what he hasn't told anyone is that there's one more mutation; his wings. Or rather, flaps of skin under his arms that allow him to glide and are probably the source of the humid, pungent odor he gives off.
What I absolutely LOVED about David was how much his personality surprised me. People who are ostracized or taunted for being different are usually angry or depressed or meek or some combination. But David was hilarious. He was witty, smart, not afraid to play tricks on those who bullied him. He was admittedly kind of shut-off, but he definitely broke any stereotypes I had set in my brain for the typical 'outcast.'
Cheetah was...okay. Very flat. She wasn't explained at all. So she just...didn't make an impression on me. David's foster parents seemed cool. The perfect balance between saints (because they could love him for who he was) and flawed humans (because they were still a bit weirded out by him, which is only normal). Doctor Ramaswamy was okay, too. Very flat. And any other character is just too boring or inconsequential to mention.
The plot wasn't really a plot, so much as the sequence of events of this kid's life. It was a life-story, not a beginning-middle-end story. And I can appreciate those. It felt more real.
And it dealt with more realistic issues. He feels kind of isolated from his friends and foster parents, which is understandable. He doubts the existence of God, which is understandable (his whole THERE IS A GOD revelation was the only part of the book I didn't really like. It was just weird for me). And he has doubts as to whether or not he should get corrective surgery for his face and wings. All of this is understandable, and it creates a sort of exaggerated version of the feelings 'normal' teenagers might be feeling. So it was a creative medical fiction as well as a relatable realistic fiction. Which is awesome.
The writing was great. Perhaps one of my favorite styles I've ever seen. Weaver managed to be descriptive without prattling on. And I say that about a lot of writers, but this guy perfected the technique. If he had a metaphor to give, he only used a sentence or two and then moved on. But it worked perfectly. That sentence or two conveyed a beautiful simile or whatever in such a way that I was left thinking I wish I could be that deep and thoughtful.
Overall, very good book. A nice short read, nothing too overwhelming or lengthy, which is nice. I definitely recommend this to people who enjoy personal or moral gray areas, or contemplating the debate concerning beauty's increasing importance in our society (although it deals more with David than it does with society and beauty). This book is definitely worth your time.