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Man, I'm in a funk. Another 'good' book I didn't finish...
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Underwhelming.
I expected more from this novel, though it is hard to say precisely what I had hoped for. Early reviews were near raves, and I can objectively see why: There is much to admire in the prose. It is controlled and appropriately claustrophobic and smart. Wray is intent on getting us inside the head of a paranoid schizophrenic, and I suppose he succeeds, as far as that goes.
But I found myself thinking "So what?" throughout much of this. I suppose I wanted some grander context-setting, something that places this story (affecting at times, sure) into relation with my life and world. Instead, the story works small: very focused, very close, very much concerned with the ins and outs of a schizophrenic's experiences after he goes off his meds and disappears into the NYC subways. (As well, there are clunky intercut chapters with two characters who are hunting the boy as he rides the trains; these chapters are deeply unconvincing for some reason. Without the excuse-for-interest of schizophrenia, these character portraits come off as artificially thin and reveal the style for the cramped and cramping thing it is.)
Some reviewers praise the "suspense novel-like pacing," but I think they're stretching. Yes, there is a little bit of suspense, but it is not of a page-turning variety. More it is the paltry art of withholding information. Two final bits—a "revelation" that most readers will have figured out by page fifty, and a last paragraph reversal—feel expected, and because of that, aren't terribly moving. More you read these bits and think, Ah, so that's the way the story goes; thought it would.
All of that aside, may read more of Wray's fiction. He's clearly good; this novel just struck me as a bit cramped.
I expected more from this novel, though it is hard to say precisely what I had hoped for. Early reviews were near raves, and I can objectively see why: There is much to admire in the prose. It is controlled and appropriately claustrophobic and smart. Wray is intent on getting us inside the head of a paranoid schizophrenic, and I suppose he succeeds, as far as that goes.
But I found myself thinking "So what?" throughout much of this. I suppose I wanted some grander context-setting, something that places this story (affecting at times, sure) into relation with my life and world. Instead, the story works small: very focused, very close, very much concerned with the ins and outs of a schizophrenic's experiences after he goes off his meds and disappears into the NYC subways. (As well, there are clunky intercut chapters with two characters who are hunting the boy as he rides the trains; these chapters are deeply unconvincing for some reason. Without the excuse-for-interest of schizophrenia, these character portraits come off as artificially thin and reveal the style for the cramped and cramping thing it is.)
Some reviewers praise the "suspense novel-like pacing," but I think they're stretching. Yes, there is a little bit of suspense, but it is not of a page-turning variety. More it is the paltry art of withholding information. Two final bits—a "revelation" that most readers will have figured out by page fifty, and a last paragraph reversal—feel expected, and because of that, aren't terribly moving. More you read these bits and think, Ah, so that's the way the story goes; thought it would.
All of that aside, may read more of Wray's fiction. He's clearly good; this novel just struck me as a bit cramped.
Stunning. Haunting. Brutal. Just a few of the adjectives I'd use to describe this tour de force from John Wray. A portrayal of schizophrenia that is compelling without being diagnostic, forced, condescending, or trapped in any of the other pitfalls that often nullify novels about mental illness. It is at once a story of a coming-of-age, of young love, of parenthood, and of loss, not to mention a near-perfect portrait of New York City. The pacing is immaculate. The writing is at times blindingly chaotic and deeply grounded, sometimes even all at once. You will not put it down. Five stars.
This was one of the most intriguing books I've read in a long time. It's the story of a paranoid schizophrenic who has run away from his hospital and his riding the subways of New York in an attempt to save the world from global warming. The chapters alternate between the boy's view of the world and his mother's and a police detective's view as they frantically search for him. The writing is very strong really conveys the desperation and fear of the characters.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Eh, not that good. You don't get credit for writing an incomprehensible book if it doesn't have anything more to it. Sorry.
Who wouldn't enjoy a story of young schizophrenic love on the MTA. I certainly did. Probably would have given the book five stars when I was 15.