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A review by cheekylaydee
Loner by Teddy Wayne
4.0
I had to go away and think about what to write about this book because it's certainly one that gave me food for thought.
David is a loner. Academically gifted yet socially awkward, when he enters Harvard he believes that he might finally fit in. Written from his point of view, you see him struggling socially and those that do offer the hand of friendship is usually rejected for those that he aspires to. In particular one Veronica Morgan Wells. In her he sees the perfect woman for him. Smart, though not as smart as him, beautiful and witty.
At any other time, he would never have had a chance of getting near someone like her. But this is Harvard, the start of a new life, and he believes that people will finally start to appreciate his intelligence, his wit and his uncanny ability to pronounce words backwards.
So starts an unrelenting campaign to win Veronica's heart. Those visions of marriage and children are so vivid they can't be wrong. He goes so far as to commit academic fraud whilst trying to get into her good books and what's so clever about the way this book is written is that the reader can see that this guy doesn't have a chance.
He's delusional in short. He is so focussed on winning her he doesn't seem to care that other people may get hurt in the process, that there are other people that genuinely care for him and that he could be happy with if given a chance, and what is most glaringly obvious to the reader is that this girl really does not care about him at all.
The reader sees her reactions and behaviour towards him and anybody that isn't David can see the signals loud and clear yet in his mind he will excuse her, validate her and forgive her anything to stop this vision he has of her from being destroyed. He believes that have an unbreakable bond, a secret relationship that only he acknowledges because she can't just yet.
When you're reading his version of events you have a mixture of feelings towards this guy. You feel kind of sorry for him because you know he's aspiring to something that will never happen. You get frustrated with him because he doesn't want to see things from any other viewpoint but his own, and you eventually get angry with him and in my case I just wanted to shake the guy to make him wake up.
This is certainly a book that makes you think, it lets you get into somebody else's head and the ending is one that certainly makes you question your own morality, your own sense of right and wrong, and what justice is.
A book that works on many levels and is worth a read but a word of warning, be prepared to feel emotionally exhausted!
David is a loner. Academically gifted yet socially awkward, when he enters Harvard he believes that he might finally fit in. Written from his point of view, you see him struggling socially and those that do offer the hand of friendship is usually rejected for those that he aspires to. In particular one Veronica Morgan Wells. In her he sees the perfect woman for him. Smart, though not as smart as him, beautiful and witty.
At any other time, he would never have had a chance of getting near someone like her. But this is Harvard, the start of a new life, and he believes that people will finally start to appreciate his intelligence, his wit and his uncanny ability to pronounce words backwards.
So starts an unrelenting campaign to win Veronica's heart. Those visions of marriage and children are so vivid they can't be wrong. He goes so far as to commit academic fraud whilst trying to get into her good books and what's so clever about the way this book is written is that the reader can see that this guy doesn't have a chance.
He's delusional in short. He is so focussed on winning her he doesn't seem to care that other people may get hurt in the process, that there are other people that genuinely care for him and that he could be happy with if given a chance, and what is most glaringly obvious to the reader is that this girl really does not care about him at all.
The reader sees her reactions and behaviour towards him and anybody that isn't David can see the signals loud and clear yet in his mind he will excuse her, validate her and forgive her anything to stop this vision he has of her from being destroyed. He believes that have an unbreakable bond, a secret relationship that only he acknowledges because she can't just yet.
When you're reading his version of events you have a mixture of feelings towards this guy. You feel kind of sorry for him because you know he's aspiring to something that will never happen. You get frustrated with him because he doesn't want to see things from any other viewpoint but his own, and you eventually get angry with him and in my case I just wanted to shake the guy to make him wake up.
This is certainly a book that makes you think, it lets you get into somebody else's head and the ending is one that certainly makes you question your own morality, your own sense of right and wrong, and what justice is.
A book that works on many levels and is worth a read but a word of warning, be prepared to feel emotionally exhausted!