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A review by whatsamuelreads
Shy by Max Porter

2.0

A great premise ruined by conceited writing.

Shy is a short novel about a young boy named Shy who is lost in the woods.

I started this book off strong. I enjoyed the narrative voice and it felt different to anything I had read before. Shy is an unlikeable character but as the book grows so does his character. This was the only best feature of this book. Starting off with a character quite detestable and to transform them into layers of depth was applaudable.

However, the writing of this novel felt so conceited and smarmy. It felt like the writing was disconnected from the character and there was a lot that didn’t overly make sense. The author tries too hard to create symbolism and reach new heights. In the end it all just falls flat.

Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book, glad it was over. Sorry!