Book Reviews #9: Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell

"Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice, it was supposed to make you feel something."
-Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor and Park

Originally, when I started this book, I thought it would just be a fun little distraction while I took a break from Stephen King's epic "The Stand". I thought it would just be a fun, short, somewhat campy young adult romance novel, nothing terrible, but nothing that would blow me away, or be that much better than the young adult romance novels I had encountered prior to reading this. Well, I am happy to report that I was wrong, this book became so much more than just a distraction, it became a priority. I was addicted to this thing, and upon completion it wounded up being one of my favourite young adult romance novels I have read, if not my actual favourite, and certainly one of the best books I have read in the past year or so. In fact the more I think about this book, the more it climbs up the ladder to becoming one of my actual favourite books, ever.

Okay, so lets get all the problems I have with this book out of the way first. I don't really quite understand why the book was told in third person instead of first, Rainbow (awesome name by the way) doesn't really do anything that third person that she couldn't do with first person, and most of the narrative is so firmly placed into the character's heads that it might as well have been in first person. It's a minor complaint, and it doesn't really detract from the book but I just don't get why Rainbow felt the need to go with third instead of first, I'm probably the only one who was bothered by this but yeah,I just find that strange.
Secondly, I found that the parts that were focused around Eleanor's family in the first two thirds of the book felt a little bit tedious, and whenever they came up I just wanted the focus to go back to the actual romance between Park and Eleanor. I understand that they are necessary to expanding on Elaenor's character and for setting up the ending but I just didn't find these sections of the book all that entertaining. Also I don't really enjoy spending time with Eleanor's family either, I mean I get that her parents aren't meant to be all that likable, but I don't really find her siblings all that interesting either. I don't think any of them, apart from Maisie, were giving good enough characterisation for me to actually care about, well, any of them. However not too much time was spent during these scenes, so it isn't thaat big of a deal.
Also the constant popular culture references at the beginning of the book felt like Rainbow was constantly bashing me over the head with the fact that this book is set in the 80s, but they become more and more sparse throughout the duration of the book, so again, not a big deal.
Despite my nit-picking of the usage of third person and my frustration with the detours taken from the main focus of the book, I found the rest of the novel to be a fluid, seamless read, which was entertaining throughout, and never truly faltered. I loved how the main two characters were portrayed, they were given some depth and actually felt like real people. My problem with a few John Green books is that his characters just feel too perfect, they're too witty and too intelligent, to the point where they just aren't even relatable characters for me, whereas in "Eleanor and Park" all the characters feel grounded in realism, and all of them have flaws. None of the characters felt purely bad or purely good, apart from arguably Richie, but as bad as he is we still see glimpses of him not being completely heartless. All the characters had layers, when Park's parents felt like they were being unreasonable, it doesn't come off like that, it comes off as them just wanting the best for their son, whether it aligned with what Park wanted or not. When Richie was being an all around horrible human being, while what he was doing was very, very wrong, in certain scenes it actually comes off as him just wanting to have a family, but going around it very bitterly and aggressively. And while I didn't find Eleanor's mum to be the most likable of characters, I could tell she really did want the best for her family, she was just so mentally defeated by Richie that she felt there was nothing she could do. Still though, I can't quite work out whether or not she actually loves, or even likes, Richie,or if she just defends him because she's afraid of what might become of her if he ever caught word of her speaking ill of him. And Tina, while she also is nowhere near to being a good person, came off as genuinely caring about Park, and maybe she her cruelness to Eleanor was fueled by her jealousy, however I do wish Rainbow went into more detail on Tina and why she's so mean spirited, that would've been.
And last but not least our two main characters, Eleanor and Park. I found them both to be really compelling characters who I just, loved spending time with, and I loved watching them spend time with each other and watching their relationship grow throughout the book. The romantic scenes with these two never felt corny or cheesy, and when they did come off as cheesy, the book actually acknowledges this instead of just passing it off as realistic dialogue. Everything they said to each other, and the way they treated each other and reacted around each other felt believable, natural, it never felt forced or contrived. Watching them be together throughout the book, and all the hardships and difficulties they experience as a couple, and them trying to tell each other how they feel throughout the book really came off as endearing, and you can't help but to just, fall in love with the two of them. I love how insecure the both of them are as well, as much as they try to hide it from each other. I especially enjoyed seeing moments in the book where both of them act selfishly, or at least are just thinking about themselves, neither of them were ever unlikable, it was just nice to see that they were both human. The chemistry between the two was wonderful and just, perfectly adorable, and it was a joy to simply read about them doing the mundane of things.
The ending was also pretty great as well. It actually gets pretty dark but still stayed grounded, so while I did feel like stakes were raised, it still felt intact with the rest of the story. I also liked how the ending was left ambiguous and not every question raised throughout the book was answered. It was a nice way of showing that you can't just tie life up in a neat bow at the age of 17, and instead of ending, it just continues, beyond the pages.
All in all, I adored this book, and I am happily surprised at how much I enjoyed the experience of reading the whole thing, and I definitely feel inclined to read some of Rainbow Rowell's other works, if the opportunity were to present itself. I would recommend this book to anyone really, especially if you're into romantic young adult fiction books, in my opinion, this is undoubtedly a must read if that's your thing.

Book Reviews #8, A Short Story Review: The Last Rung On The Ladder, By Stephen King

"Then I stepped off into space, holding my nose for effect, and as it always did, the sudden grip of gravity, yanking me down brutally, making me plummet, made me feel like yelling: "Oh, I'm sorry, I made a mistake, let me back up!"
-Stephen King, The Last Rung On The Ladder

This, roughly twenty page, short story from the Night Shift collection is a gripping, albeit rather tragic, tale of two young children and the temptation of adventure, no matter how dangerous. Starting off, I was unsure about how the story would go down, I let my guard down, believing that I couldn't possibly get attached to any of these characters enough to actually feel anything upon completion, however King somehow finds a way.
The story's hook is the suspense of what the letter, that a lawyer called Larry received from his sister, Kitty, said that was so shocking that Larry feared telling his father of the contents of the letter would give him yet another heart attack. So from the get go, to me at least, the success of this short story hinges on whether or not he reveal was satisfying, and let me tell you it sure as hell was. If I hadn't been giving say, 15 pages to really get attached to Larry and his sister, both of which King writes as mischievous but also loving and endearing, the contents of the letter wouldn't have meant all that much to me, but after getting to care for these two characters, it feel like a punch in the gut, a strangely beautiful, poetic punch in the gut.
So yeah, if you've got twenty pages to spare, and you too feel like being satisfied by a punch in the gut, then I would definitely recommend checking this thing out.

Book Reviews #7: Will Grayson, Will Grayson...By David Levithan and John Green

"Will, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose."
-John Green, Will Grayson,Will Grayson
"i am constantly torn between killing myself and killing everyone around me."
-David Levithan, Will Grayson,Will Grayson

"Will Grayson, Will Grayson" is a relatively easy book to read, and while yes that's partially because it's not all that complicated or complex, it's primarily because this book is such a compelling read. Despite it having it's dry spots, it still doesn't cease to be a page turner.
I think what makes this so compelling is that it's a collaboration between two authors, John and David, and despite them both being YA authors they're styles, at least in this book, are definitely different. John Green's sections of the book come off as warmer and more welcoming, while David's sections of the book feel a lot more lonely and pessimistic.
Personally, I preferred David's sections of the books, I feel like all of his characters had this sense that there was more to them than you'd think at face value. It's actually rather subtle how you get just a glimpse into the side character's inner struggles and turmoil. While David had less side character's than John, I did find them far more interesting; I can barely remember half of John's side characters due to everyone other than (the fabulous) Tiny and Jane feeling boring and two dimensional. He failed at convincing me that these people had lives when they weren't on the page. I did however thoroughly enjoy the character of Tiny, he was fun and eccentric and really brought joy and character to John's sections of the book. With him spontaneously falling in love with every guy he dates he felt like a genuine teenager, I especially loved how his insecurities were explored later in the book. I equally enjoyed the development of the relationship between (John's) Will and Jane, they contrasted each other nicely and i feel that the pacing of the progression they made together and the relationship itself was done nicely.
While I did enjoy John's sections of the book, I did feel that his Will Grayson was no where nearly as interesting as David's Will Grayson. John's just felt like your average joe, and I didn't really feel anything about his character really made him stand out for me, and while he did have his moments (him breaking down later in the book and him realising how much Tiny means to him being highlights of the book) overall he just felt rather generic and kinda bland. Don't get me wrong, he was a nice guy, he just wasn't all that interesting. He's not a bad character, but he's not great either. On the flip side I loved David's Will Grayson and just how much he grows during the duration of the novel. He starts off so bitter and angry, but also lonely and insecure. He's a flawed character, in fact there were moments in this where I really disagreed with his treatment of others, especially Maura, and just how self centered he can be at points of the book. He was very much in his on head too much and failed to see how he was affecting the people around him. But I think this was done intentionally, and by the end of the book he was a rather likable character. I just really enjoyed seeing him come to terms with himself and the people around him. I also enjoyed the dry, darker sense of humor in David's sections of the book.
All in all, I did really enjoy this collaboration between John Green and David Levithan. It was a fun, humorous read that actually had some really impactful, genuinely touching moments. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's already a fan of young adult fiction.

Book Reviews #6: I Am Legend, By Richard Matheson

"Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am legend."
-Richard Matheson, I Am Legend

"I Am Legend", at it's core, is a tale of human loneliness. It masterfully explores what it means to truly be alone, and the effect that that can have on a man, and just how desperate they can become for any form of companionship.
The main character, Robert Neville, exceeds in being believable, and really sells the idea of what the last man on earth would be like. The character's actual arc through out the story felt natural, and also very believable. At the start of the book, Robert comes off as very bitter, very reckless and somewhat suicidal. However, by the end of the book, he just feels like a genuinely better person, he's far more likable and it's really great to see the journey he goes on emotionally from when the beginning of the book, which is set only a few months after he became the last person on earth, and the end of the book, after roughly two years have passed since the beginning.
Another aspect of Robert's character that I think made the book a lot more relatable to the average reader is the fact that, unlike the film adaptations, he isn't a scientist, or anything special really. He's just your average Joe who happens to be immune to the virus. And while yes this makes it easier for the reader to relate to the character, it also makes seeing him survive for so long all the more interesting. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Robert would go to the library and take books home and actively try to research, and try to understand what exactly it was that turned everyone into "vampires", their weaknesses, if their was any possibilities of finding a cure. Watching Robert spending most of the middle of the book try to wrap his head around all these concepts, and theories in science, and watching him unable to fit the pieces together then getting extremely frustrated with himself only to finally come to understand these concepts and understanding why the "vampires" are the way they are was strangely fascinating.
Oh and I also loved how Robert would question why the people who were infected with the virus took on the characteristics and traits of vampires, a man made legend. A gripe I have with a lot of zombie stories, a perfect example is the walking dead, is that the characters never really show any signs that they are already familiar with what a zombie is, they always act as if it's their first time ever seeing a zombie. Sometimes they don't even call them zombies. It just always seemed strange to me, so it was a pleasant surprise when Robert would actually ponder on whether or not these superstitions about vampires became a reality, or it was mere coincidence.
So, to conclude, I highly recommend "I Am Legend". It was fast paced and engaging, but still managed to be thought provoking, and is a wonderful blend of horror and science fiction.