A review by laurenleigh
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I adore Michael Chabon. His characters always jump off the page, ready to be fully-formed humans in the “real world.” I actually disliked almost every character in this novel, and yet I loved the book. With the exception of one side character, I don’t think I’d enjoy being friends with any of these people. But it’s still something I’d totally read again. That’s how good of a writer he is! Every character is so unique and real, even if they’re mainly all assholes in various ways. I could tell there was a lot of semi-biographical details in here, which I’m sure helps its characters and plot points ring so true. Between this and his first novel, Mysteries of Pittsburgh (one of my all-time favorites!), I can tell the city of Pittsburgh has left an indelible mark on Chabon. The story took place all over the course of one crazy weekend, and I enjoyed the pacing. I feel called to watch the movie they made; I think it would lend itself well to the screen. Heads up, there’s some dated language in the first section that reads transphobic today. None of it was malicious, just feels a bit icky at first, before the character was more deeply explored and made more well-rounded. Not that Chabon gets a pass because it “was a different time;” folks outside the binary don’t deserve to be the butt of a joke. Lastly, this was for whatever reason my very first entry on an online TBR list many moons ago, and it feels so good to finally check it off the list!!
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