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A review by quietjenn
Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron
3.0
growing up, i would've been all over this book, simply for existing. because at that time, in columbus, ohio, the only cultural touchstones we had were "family ties" which didn't count at all because all the place names were made up. so, a book that actually took place in columbus, dropping location names (the dube! bernies! newport! idiot boy! schiller park! not-named cup o'joe!) and experiences i could totally relate to? yes, please. but, because the setting is near and dear, there are a few things that i quibble about, that another reader probably wouldn't give a second thought to (radio station w/a k call letter? not even. and maybe it is nostalgia coloring things, but i always thought food at the dube was pretty good. they have excellent toast and grilled cheeses.)
so that's my caveat, for whatever it's worth. in terms of the actual book, i'd say it's pretty solid. the boy-voice is quite excellent and the music references all go down pretty nicely. the supporting characters were nicely rounded, and i especially liked the best friends/bandmates. the love object i couldn't totally get with. i liked that she was very real and had her own issues, but i feel like i probably wouldn't have liked her much in real life (so sue me; white-girl dreads - and all they indicate - will always give me pause and make me draw not-very-nice conclusions) and the adult figures were nicely complex. and even though these were characters-with-problems, it wasn't a "problem book," so yay for that.
that being said, there was something about the book that felt a little disjointed to me. the flow felt off a bit, and i wanted *more* of something or other, although how exactly to explain what that more was, i can't really say. maybe i'm just persnickety that way.
so that's my caveat, for whatever it's worth. in terms of the actual book, i'd say it's pretty solid. the boy-voice is quite excellent and the music references all go down pretty nicely. the supporting characters were nicely rounded, and i especially liked the best friends/bandmates. the love object i couldn't totally get with. i liked that she was very real and had her own issues, but i feel like i probably wouldn't have liked her much in real life (so sue me; white-girl dreads - and all they indicate - will always give me pause and make me draw not-very-nice conclusions) and the adult figures were nicely complex. and even though these were characters-with-problems, it wasn't a "problem book," so yay for that.
that being said, there was something about the book that felt a little disjointed to me. the flow felt off a bit, and i wanted *more* of something or other, although how exactly to explain what that more was, i can't really say. maybe i'm just persnickety that way.