Scan barcode
A review by jsncnrd
Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos by Nash Jenkins
5.0
The 70th book I have read in 2023, and one that has earned its spot in the top 5 of those 70.
This book was on my radar for a while, but I was a bit overwhelmed at the length. Add to that the fact that the book is incredibly wordy and verbose (and perhaps written with a thesaurus). At times, that was its strength – but it was also purple prose. (Not a bad thing! Nash Jenkins is a brilliant writer, full stop. Just be aware of what you're signing up for.)
I’m calling this a “gray academia” book — there are no elements of murder mystery as are often found in dark academia, but there are some very dark occurrences that add to the seriousness of the story. Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos is filled to the brim with morally gray characters making morally gray decisions that have tragic effects.
The book perfectly encapsulates the late 2000’s. In addition to the commentary on technology, the book brings to mind a number of questions and points that were important back then and are still important now.
- What happens when we leave teens to their own devices with minimal parental supervision? (i.e., at a boarding school where a teenager was able to run a full-on successful drug ring without detection.)
- The casual and indifferent cruelty that teenagers subject each other to. There’s gaslighting, there’s duplicity, there’s manipulation, there’s two-faced characters like Annabeth (whom I absolutely despise). There’s Facebook chat transcripts revealing the true nature and extent of cyber-bullying and hatred that teens are so apathetic about and desensitized to. (The girls got what they deserved.)
- Which also calls to question the themes of authenticity / identity. For Foster feeling like he was the most fundamentally unlikable and fake person in the circle of “friends,” he was actually the most genuine of all the characters. He is one of my new favorite anti-heroes.
- Toxic masculinity. Enough said.
- The rise of Adderall and Vyvanse abuse in teens – and what the role of prescriber apathy means for the development of addiction.
-Foster’s ultimate death by opioid overdose. He was primed for addiction through the careless prescription and absentminded monitoring of controlled substances by his doctor. Taking Oxy had the chance to be a disaster, and that’s what it turned into.
Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos was unique, funny, heartbreaking, and enlightening. It tackled so many themes and paid equal attention to all of the themes that it explored -- it didn't fail to finish anything it started.
At the end of the day, the book was definitely a challenge to tackle -- but once you accept that challenge, you will be happy you did so. Though slow in some parts, the book is overall an excellent journey that gives poetic insight into the real meaning of belonging, friendship, and identity.
This book was on my radar for a while, but I was a bit overwhelmed at the length. Add to that the fact that the book is incredibly wordy and verbose (and perhaps written with a thesaurus). At times, that was its strength – but it was also purple prose. (Not a bad thing! Nash Jenkins is a brilliant writer, full stop. Just be aware of what you're signing up for.)
I’m calling this a “gray academia” book — there are no elements of murder mystery as are often found in dark academia, but there are some very dark occurrences that add to the seriousness of the story. Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos is filled to the brim with morally gray characters making morally gray decisions that have tragic effects.
The book perfectly encapsulates the late 2000’s. In addition to the commentary on technology, the book brings to mind a number of questions and points that were important back then and are still important now.
- What happens when we leave teens to their own devices with minimal parental supervision? (i.e., at a boarding school where a teenager was able to run a full-on successful drug ring without detection.)
- The casual and indifferent cruelty that teenagers subject each other to. There’s gaslighting, there’s duplicity, there’s manipulation, there’s two-faced characters like Annabeth (whom I absolutely despise). There’s Facebook chat transcripts revealing the true nature and extent of cyber-bullying and hatred that teens are so apathetic about and desensitized to. (The girls got what they deserved.)
- Which also calls to question the themes of authenticity / identity. For Foster feeling like he was the most fundamentally unlikable and fake person in the circle of “friends,” he was actually the most genuine of all the characters. He is one of my new favorite anti-heroes.
- Toxic masculinity. Enough said.
- The rise of Adderall and Vyvanse abuse in teens – and what the role of prescriber apathy means for the development of addiction.
-
Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos was unique, funny, heartbreaking, and enlightening. It tackled so many themes and paid equal attention to all of the themes that it explored -- it didn't fail to finish anything it started.
At the end of the day, the book was definitely a challenge to tackle -- but once you accept that challenge, you will be happy you did so. Though slow in some parts, the book is overall an excellent journey that gives poetic insight into the real meaning of belonging, friendship, and identity.