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A review by deedireads
Shy by Max Porter
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Shy is a tiny book that packs a gigantic punch like only Max Porter can. Dark but emotionally poignant, this book will break your heart in the best way. I loved it.
For you if: You like when a book experiments with voice and interiority through typography.
FULL REVIEW:
Whew, y’all. I need to read Grief Is the Thing With Feathers ASAP because Max Porter really just does it for me. I read Lanny back when it was longlisted for the Booker and it instantly became an all-time favorite, so I was very excited to read Shy. This one was darker and heavier, but just as emotionally poignant and distinctive.
When we first meet Shy, a teen who lives at a school for troubled young men, he’s sneaking out in the middle of the night with a backpack full of rocks. The main narration takes place over the course of only a few hours, but we spend a lot of time flashing back through his past — the voices, the violence, his struggle with impulse control and relationships with others.
There’s nobody who can put you inside a character’s head like Max Porter. His use of creative typography (for example, a character yelling at Shy might be depicted by giant text running across both pages of the open book), mastery of voice, and trust in the reader to keep up as he barrels forward combines perfectly every time. For this reason, I implore you: Always listen to AND read Max Porter’s work! Listen as you read along. Trust me, do not skip the audio or print editions!!! (Also, it’s so short. Only 2:16/136 pages!)
This book broke my heart in the best way that books can. Shy has a lot of trauma and struggle. He’s tunneling deep into the core of who he is and whether he can feel hopeful again. Porter shows us how impossible it is to know the core of someone, and that we are all individuals whose struggles are unique even when patterns emerge in behavior. He reminds us how easy it is to forget all that simply by making Shy himself so vivid.
Do it do it do it. Read this one.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Shy is a tiny book that packs a gigantic punch like only Max Porter can. Dark but emotionally poignant, this book will break your heart in the best way. I loved it.
For you if: You like when a book experiments with voice and interiority through typography.
FULL REVIEW:
Whew, y’all. I need to read Grief Is the Thing With Feathers ASAP because Max Porter really just does it for me. I read Lanny back when it was longlisted for the Booker and it instantly became an all-time favorite, so I was very excited to read Shy. This one was darker and heavier, but just as emotionally poignant and distinctive.
When we first meet Shy, a teen who lives at a school for troubled young men, he’s sneaking out in the middle of the night with a backpack full of rocks. The main narration takes place over the course of only a few hours, but we spend a lot of time flashing back through his past — the voices, the violence, his struggle with impulse control and relationships with others.
There’s nobody who can put you inside a character’s head like Max Porter. His use of creative typography (for example, a character yelling at Shy might be depicted by giant text running across both pages of the open book), mastery of voice, and trust in the reader to keep up as he barrels forward combines perfectly every time. For this reason, I implore you: Always listen to AND read Max Porter’s work! Listen as you read along. Trust me, do not skip the audio or print editions!!! (Also, it’s so short. Only 2:16/136 pages!)
This book broke my heart in the best way that books can. Shy has a lot of trauma and struggle. He’s tunneling deep into the core of who he is and whether he can feel hopeful again. Porter shows us how impossible it is to know the core of someone, and that we are all individuals whose struggles are unique even when patterns emerge in behavior. He reminds us how easy it is to forget all that simply by making Shy himself so vivid.
Do it do it do it. Read this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis