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A review by imanisun
Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
3.0
I think that in general one of the things I disliked most about this book was Josh, the main character. Josh was...a boy. For a large part of the book he was a 12 year old boy unknowingly getting molested by his hot history teacher, Eve. For the other parts of the book, Josh was an 18 year old, on the brink of college, dealing with issues that you can't believe and still as much in love with baseball as he was when he thought he was in love with Eve, too.
Now, here's why I didn't like Josh. It wasn't for the reason that I might have given long ago: "How could he be so naive as to let the relationship between his older teacher and himself go on for so long? How could he possibly keep it a secret from his parents? How could he be so stupid?"
But Lyga paints the unraveling of his situation so well that I can't possibly ask such questions. Josh was a victim and his actions shouldn't even really be questioned. No. I didn't like Josh because he was such a...know it all.
I mean, I know he's a boy and all and I guess Lyga paints him as one of those boys that just knows it all and everyone knows he knows it all and god forbid someone doesn't know he knows it all. Throughout the whole book, through all the emotional trauma and crying from both ends, Josh never stopped to think, "Maybe I'm not such a clever fellow after all". Apparently, he was always one up on everyone else, even when he was wrong about everything (ALERT ALERT HE DIDN'T KNOW FOR 5 YEARS THAT HE WAS THE ACTUAL THE VICTIM, NOT EVE). I think Josh visualized everyone (and Rachel, his old buddy pal from childhood/the girl he half raped/ the girl who loves him/ the girl who wants him despite everything, touched on this) as less than himself and that no one, not even his parents could ever reach his intelligence level. Which is really something.
I liked the writing in here. It's an interesting mix of inspirational baseball book and a social problem book but I think for the most part, it was mixed well. I'm really really really hoping that the fact the book was centered around baseball was just kinda a coincidence and not some extended metaphor encompassing Josh's relationship with Eve. Please no.
Anyway, I recommend it to people who understand baseball because I sure didn't.
Now, here's why I didn't like Josh. It wasn't for the reason that I might have given long ago: "How could he be so naive as to let the relationship between his older teacher and himself go on for so long? How could he possibly keep it a secret from his parents? How could he be so stupid?"
But Lyga paints the unraveling of his situation so well that I can't possibly ask such questions. Josh was a victim and his actions shouldn't even really be questioned. No. I didn't like Josh because he was such a...know it all.
I mean, I know he's a boy and all and I guess Lyga paints him as one of those boys that just knows it all and everyone knows he knows it all and god forbid someone doesn't know he knows it all. Throughout the whole book, through all the emotional trauma and crying from both ends, Josh never stopped to think, "Maybe I'm not such a clever fellow after all". Apparently, he was always one up on everyone else, even when he was wrong about everything (ALERT ALERT HE DIDN'T KNOW FOR 5 YEARS THAT HE WAS THE ACTUAL THE VICTIM, NOT EVE). I think Josh visualized everyone (and Rachel, his old buddy pal from childhood/the girl he half raped/ the girl who loves him/ the girl who wants him despite everything, touched on this) as less than himself and that no one, not even his parents could ever reach his intelligence level. Which is really something.
I liked the writing in here. It's an interesting mix of inspirational baseball book and a social problem book but I think for the most part, it was mixed well. I'm really really really hoping that the fact the book was centered around baseball was just kinda a coincidence and not some extended metaphor encompassing Josh's relationship with Eve. Please no.
Anyway, I recommend it to people who understand baseball because I sure didn't.