Woefully Reviewed Rating: Pathetic (1) by Lisa
Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.
While the writing in this book is excellent, I had a few issues with the story itself. The huge traumatizing event that drove Cat into her shell to begin with wasn't, in all actuality - once I got to that part that had been alluded to REPEATEDLY - as traumatizing as I expected it to be. The author made it seem like something utterly, horribly, terrifyingly horrific happened, when it wasn't anything a hundred guys do to a hundred girls every Friday night. He didn't hurt her. He didn't rape her. All he did really did was scare her, for the most part.
I guess her big trauma came from her aunt watching it and doing nothing about it, but you'd think she'd be upset and withdrawn from her aunt then, not the world. I'm not condoning it as acceptable, but it certainly wasn't enough (in my opinion) to warrant the complete withdrawal from society and fear of her one-time-for-a-couple-minutes-hormonal-teenage-boy-not-really-an-abuser that Cat displayed. We (as readers) are led to believe something akin to what happened to her best friend was done to her, and it was a huge - I hesitate to use the word "disappointment" in reference to a vaguely sexual abuse scene, but that's the only one I can think of that's appropriate. All I could think when I got there was "That's it? That's your big trauma? Your horrible abuse? That? HE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING TO YOU!" Maybe it was the idea that he would have continued onto actual rape if he hadn't been interrupted, and that was the big trauma. Or maybe I just missed the point entirely.
I reread the abuse scene a few times just to make sure I didn't miss anything. Maybe he really did hurt her. Maybe there was more I missed. But no. Nope. Maybe I'm just callous, but I've worked in the social services field and believe me this was nothing. That Cat reacted to something so benign so strongly really made me lose respect for her as a character. She's built up so well and we're supposed to be proud of her for coming out of her shell to fight for her friend, but once I learned she was basically traumatized over nothing, I just shook my head. But enough about that.
I'm not a huge fan of mystery stories, but I do like LGBTQQ and I was really pleased when I read a blog post about this book. I bought it because it addressed the LGBTQQ hate that goes on in the South and elsewhere. The reason I'm not a fan of mysteries is because I can usually solve it in the first 100 pages or less. This leaves almost 2/3rds of the book to prove my conclusions. This book was no different. I had this book pegged immediately.
I finished it to the end in one sitting for two reasons - 1) the writing was good and 2) I wanted to confirm my suspicions. I knew what had happened, knew who had committed the crime, etc. etc. There wasn't one single surprise or curveball. I knew the red herring the moment I saw it.
Good writing doesn't make up for lack of storytelling, and while this story had potential, it missed the mark in my opinion. The story was so lack-luster that I couldn't even remember the narrator's name, and it was written in 1st Person! I had to go back to the cover flap to find out what it was, and I was 3/4 through the book. That's bad, when you're almost to the end of the book and can't remember the main character's name.
They say never give criticism without praise, so here's some praise: I loved Christian. I loved Jason. I loved Robert. I loved Patrick even though he was in a coma. I loved Kid. I even loved Tommy after a bit.
This is the first book I've read of Ms. Myracle's, and she is an excellent writer. Good character development, good pacing, good plot arc from beginning to end. Ms. Myracle knows how to tell a story.
She just doesn't tell this one very well.
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| Pathetic |
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