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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
If you came here from the r/horrorlit threads that recommended Boys Life like I did do yourself a favor and skip this. This was definitely outside of my normal reading preferences. Somewhere in r/horrorlit there was a huge thread of people raving about this book, so I figured I'd give it a try. It's fine but nothing special and it was so much longer than it needed to be. It definitely wasn't a horror novel. The book wasn't for me, but I still finished it because the audiobook was a really easy listen (and I could listen at double speed just fine). I feel neutral on this book, mostly just annoyed it took so much time. Didn't feel connected to the characters or find it to be an emotional or insightful read like some comments mention. I would only recommend this to people who like coming of age stories. I wouldnt even recommend it to someone looking for a murder mystery because the book is so long winded and focuses on so many other things.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a long book and can feel long winded, but gosh darn it I loved it.
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
ta książka jest taka piękna…
powrót do lat dzieciństwa gwarantowany
powrót do lat dzieciństwa gwarantowany
I really can't think of the last time I enjoyed reading 600 pages as much as I did this book. One of the most magical, lovely, exciting, terrifying, heartwarming books of my life.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is set in a small Alabama town. It starts in 1964. The main character is Cory Mackenson. He is 11 going on 12 at the time the story starts. He is telling the story when he is an adult and is looking back on the time. He is a single child of two doting parents. He is part of a close-knit group of friends with 3 other boys. His father is a milkman. Early in the book, Cory goes with his father on his delivery route. A car goes speeding across the road in front of them and goes into a deep pond. Cory's father jumps into the pond to try to save the driver. He sees that the driver is already dead and badly beaten. The car sinks into the pond. The story goes from there. The book is part coming of age story, part friendship story, part changing times story, part thriller, and part mystery. Although there are some supernatural elements, it isn't really a supernatural horror story. The horror is more of what humans do to other humans. There is considerable racism, some of it pretty virulent. The N word is used a lot. There is spousal abuse, relationship abuse, and animal abuse. There is animal death. There is bad bullying. There is the aftermath of torture. It was a time when women deferred to their husbands in their marriages. I did feel that the number of things that Cory had to deal with in a period or around a year were a little too much. I recommend this book to someone who is looking for a good coming of age story set in the 1960's with, mostly, appealing characters. And a story with horror, mystery, and thriller elements. If the issues I mentioned are concerning to you, you may not want to read the book. The book is around 600 pages, but I had no problem reading it fairly quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail