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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Road to Nowhere: Or, the Wild Times on a Rainy Road
The levels of this book are astounding. I know this is a teen, pulpy fun adventure book, but it also goes to a much deeper place that I was not expecting. It felt like an onion. As Teresa Chaffey continued to run away from his problems with her new hitchhiker friends, Poppy Corn & Freedom Jack, the layers get peeled back as they share their stories.
At first I was annoyed, but as I heard more of each of their tales, it was quite striking. Things do get a bit muddled in the middle and very meta, but ultimately this book left me thinking for days. This one wasn't fun like Pike's other novels, it was more emotional and thought-provoking. I couldn't help but revisit moments in my own past that forever can shape your future... everything you do (or don't do) eventually does affect your future, even the tiniest things. Hmmmm...
The levels of this book are astounding. I know this is a teen, pulpy fun adventure book, but it also goes to a much deeper place that I was not expecting. It felt like an onion. As Teresa Chaffey continued to run away from his problems with her new hitchhiker friends, Poppy Corn & Freedom Jack, the layers get peeled back as they share their stories.
At first I was annoyed, but as I heard more of each of their tales, it was quite striking. Things do get a bit muddled in the middle and very meta, but ultimately this book left me thinking for days. This one wasn't fun like Pike's other novels, it was more emotional and thought-provoking. I couldn't help but revisit moments in my own past that forever can shape your future... everything you do (or don't do) eventually does affect your future, even the tiniest things. Hmmmm...
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
A story within a story. Very difficult to talk about without spoilers. There were some twists and turns. Not one of my favorite Pike books so far, probably because it was more esoteric than batshit crazy.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially Jack and Poppy's story.
'Road to Nowhere' is one of the books I kept from my teenage years. I was a massive fan of Christopher Pike, and I suppose I didn't want to let go of the nostalgic feelings. Well, now that I have read this book again, I'm ready to let it go. I can't remember reading it the first time around, but I can remember that it is not one of the better ones. Last year I read 'Witch' and it was much better.
This book tells the story of Teresa Chafey, driving away from her ruined life, when she sees two hitchhikers in the torrential rain. She doesn't know why, but she picks them up. They are Free, a magician and charmer, and Poppy, his assistant, sullen and a chain-smoker. Teresa doesn't know where it is she's running to, but she wants to get away, drive up the west coast of the US from her home in LA. So when her passengers ask her to take them to San Francisco, she is willing. Along the way, Free and Poppy decide to tell stories to pass the time - in particular, one story, of their friends John and Candy. In return, they ask Teresa to tell the story of why she is running away from home.
There are some strange moments through the narrative, such as visiting a spooky house with a wizened fortune teller, and stopping by a cathedral on the coast of California, with people milling about the grounds listlessly. There is a lot of stopping to get fuel and snacks. Teresa always gets Junior Mints, Free gets each time a six-pack of beer, a carton of milk and a box of doughnuts, and Poppy is partial to cigarettes, a lighter, or peanuts. The journey seems to last forever, and Teresa keeps getting mysterious pains, feverish symptoms and waves of dizziness.
Along the drive, it is easy for the reader to get stuck into the doomed story of John and Candy, and the disappointment of Teresa's story involving her boyfriend Bill. Both stories started out with great hope, only to dwindle into sadness. These stories were enough to keep my attention, but the episodes of getting out of the car and weird things happening were a bit annoying.
I did find this book predictable. I guess the genre might have something to do with that. Young Adult fiction is never anything life-changing. I knew there was something weird about the hitchhikers, and about Teresa's flawed story. I guess the ending was satisfying enough, if a bit cheesy and clichéd. I did find it a little too religious for my liking, though. I can't say I would recommend 'Road to Nowhere', because Christopher Pike did write better books than this one. It was just what my brain needed, though: something light after reading 'A Game of Thrones'.