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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
One of the heaviest but most moving books I have ever read. Grimsley manages to intertwine the beauty and brutality of life so effortlessly. Will be reading this again, for sure.
Set in a rural Southern town in the 60s, new kid Nathan hides from abusive home within the dubious love and protection of his neighbor Roy. I adore an evocative atmosphere and this certainly has that: the dregs of summer, the racial and social tensions of a changing South, the flawed but brilliant potential of an adolescent love which is shadowed by abuse and (very internalized) homophobia. But the ending gets ... weird. The steady, realistic pacing and slightly oblique voice are tossed aside for --interesting but not necessarily effective, and certainly messy. This is a short book, and that complements all aforementioned strengths but perhaps means the end is doomed to fail.
Spoiler
a graphic depiction of rape and murder, followed by a surreal fantasy of surviving/escaping the homophobia that motivated it
My second readthrough of this poignant, disturbing narrative rife with lush dynamic prose. I loved it even more this time.
Some day, I'm going to be good at reading between the lines, and when I am, I'm going to reread this book.
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
