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A review by katmackie
Unteachable by Elliot Wake
2.0
Upon finishing Unteachable late last night, I fell asleep struggling to work out what exactly I was going to say here. This is my second "New Adult" novel, but the first I consciously chose to read based on it's glowing reviews. I'm now asking myself, is it the genre I don't like? Or was this book just not for me?
Maise is freshly eighteen, and a new senior in high school (well, almost). She meets a handsome older stranger at the fair one night, and oh-me-oh-my they hook up in his beat up car. After she flees the scene, she tries to move on in preparation for her senior year, her last year at home before she leaves for good. But wouldn't you know it, that handsome stranger is her teacher! Ok, so I knew this going into the book, and I could see the whole "forbidden love" vibe working for fiction like this. But I guess that just isn't my fantasy. In fact, it kind of had the opposite effect.
I'll start with Maise.She's beautiful, she knows it. But she's natural and mature, unlike all the other high schoolers that try too hard in her eyes. This, I suppose, is what makes her so appealing to all men and boys alike. But she's not just a pretty face. She's had to raise herself due to her Mother's addiction and unfortunate profession.While this evoked some sympathy for her character, it was by no means enough for me. I don't need to relate to a protagonist to want to read more about them, but as the book continued I felt my sympathy and interest deflate. Maise was certainly kickass in her own way, but she was also a terrible friend with unrealistic expectations. It didn't help that I'm not a big Terrence Malick fan either.
Evan. Where do I start? I have no problem with age differences, I don't think they matter, especially as you get older. But why would a 33 year old man want to date a high school girl? It wasn't sexy for me to read. I kept thinking, "So, what do women his age see that he can easily hide from younger women?" (There is an answer to this question, and it ruined the story for me even more) It creeped me out. I don't know why, but even if she was a year older and they were in a college setting instead I would have found it more appealing. I remember feeling more mature than some of my peers in high school, but looking back, I wasn't. You're not even close to being who you're going to be when you're that age. If any of my teachers even so much as hit on me in high school, as flattering as it might have been then, looking back on it would make me sickeningly sad because I was such a kid.
Perhaps that's why I didn't relate. I couldn't help but juxtapose my high school self into the story. Me, the brooding art nerd with terrible fashion and brittle flat ironed hair, watching the mature Maise successfully date a teacher. I'd be thinking she was part of that other crowd, as different as she was from them, the crowd that burns bright in high school but dies out fast after. Oh man, I sound bitter. I'm going to focus on the positives now.
Despite my negativity, I want to point out that this is a well written novel. Though I had my reservations, Maise had some appealing wit, and the dialog was well done. I'm not surprised this book has good reviews. It's more of a me-not-you kind of situation.
Wesley was the only character that I genuinely liked. I pictured a younger Adam from GIRLS, and I almost believe the author did too... He was interesting, and a realistic high school boy. I was rooting for him the entire time, even after he made some big mistakes. His character fell flat towards the end, but I liked the space his family provided for Maise.
I'm not going to say I don't like the new adult genre. I think the backdrop just wasn't appealing to me, and since the whole plot revolves around the romance, it would have been a crucial aspect to try and relate to. Give me a lazy, neurotic, lactose intolerant, introverted, hippie, book nerd in a new adult setting and perhaps I'll be head over heels. But sorry guys, this just wasn't my bag.
Maise is freshly eighteen, and a new senior in high school (well, almost). She meets a handsome older stranger at the fair one night, and oh-me-oh-my they hook up in his beat up car. After she flees the scene, she tries to move on in preparation for her senior year, her last year at home before she leaves for good. But wouldn't you know it, that handsome stranger is her teacher! Ok, so I knew this going into the book, and I could see the whole "forbidden love" vibe working for fiction like this. But I guess that just isn't my fantasy. In fact, it kind of had the opposite effect.
I'll start with Maise.She's beautiful, she knows it. But she's natural and mature, unlike all the other high schoolers that try too hard in her eyes. This, I suppose, is what makes her so appealing to all men and boys alike. But she's not just a pretty face. She's had to raise herself due to her Mother's addiction and unfortunate profession.While this evoked some sympathy for her character, it was by no means enough for me. I don't need to relate to a protagonist to want to read more about them, but as the book continued I felt my sympathy and interest deflate. Maise was certainly kickass in her own way, but she was also a terrible friend with unrealistic expectations. It didn't help that I'm not a big Terrence Malick fan either.
Evan. Where do I start? I have no problem with age differences, I don't think they matter, especially as you get older. But why would a 33 year old man want to date a high school girl? It wasn't sexy for me to read. I kept thinking, "So, what do women his age see that he can easily hide from younger women?" (There is an answer to this question, and it ruined the story for me even more) It creeped me out. I don't know why, but even if she was a year older and they were in a college setting instead I would have found it more appealing. I remember feeling more mature than some of my peers in high school, but looking back, I wasn't. You're not even close to being who you're going to be when you're that age. If any of my teachers even so much as hit on me in high school, as flattering as it might have been then, looking back on it would make me sickeningly sad because I was such a kid.
Perhaps that's why I didn't relate. I couldn't help but juxtapose my high school self into the story. Me, the brooding art nerd with terrible fashion and brittle flat ironed hair, watching the mature Maise successfully date a teacher. I'd be thinking she was part of that other crowd, as different as she was from them, the crowd that burns bright in high school but dies out fast after. Oh man, I sound bitter. I'm going to focus on the positives now.
Despite my negativity, I want to point out that this is a well written novel. Though I had my reservations, Maise had some appealing wit, and the dialog was well done. I'm not surprised this book has good reviews. It's more of a me-not-you kind of situation.
Wesley was the only character that I genuinely liked. I pictured a younger Adam from GIRLS, and I almost believe the author did too... He was interesting, and a realistic high school boy. I was rooting for him the entire time, even after he made some big mistakes. His character fell flat towards the end, but I liked the space his family provided for Maise.
I'm not going to say I don't like the new adult genre. I think the backdrop just wasn't appealing to me, and since the whole plot revolves around the romance, it would have been a crucial aspect to try and relate to. Give me a lazy, neurotic, lactose intolerant, introverted, hippie, book nerd in a new adult setting and perhaps I'll be head over heels. But sorry guys, this just wasn't my bag.