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A review by nairforceone
Point B by Drew Magary
3.0
I am a huge fan of Drew Magary's The Hike. It was a taut, surrealist page turner. Point B is... not that. Which is fine, but I can't help but think it would have been greatly improved by some judicious developmental and copy editing.
Let's start with the good, though. The concept behind the novel is great. A world five-minutes into the future where teleportation through mobile devices has become the norm is a great setting for a story and Magary develops it well. Though it doesn't go into the details of the science behind teleporting (not that it ever should have), the effect this technology has on the world in terms of society, geopolitics, and economics is well-thought out and really very interesting. How does the world function when doors, walls, and borders are instantaneously wiped out? How do people live? How does this affect class and social strata? Magary provides great pieces of world-building in short asides from the main story, and these are the book's strength. They craft a complex interesting world that I want to see more of and investigate every nook and cranny of the implications of teleporting.
Where the book falls flat for me, though, is... everything else. The lens Magary has chosen to view this brave new world through is that of a YA coming of age novel. Now, that isn't particularly bad, per se, and I could see it being done to great effect, but Magary's execution of the concept leaves something to be desired.
The characters, including our sullen, angry protagonist Anna Huff, feel flat and unfeatured and at no point do I feel like I really know any of them. Their interactions seem bland at best, and driven by plot necessity at worst. Nowhere is this more clear than Anna's instantaneous infatuation with love-interest Lara Kirsch. We barely have time to know anything about her before we're told she's the greatest girl in the world, and she disappears a few pages later. I understand the random rush of teenage love, but it makes the whole thing feel very forced. Furthermore, the antagonists are cartoonishly cruel corporatists that dampen the effectiveness of the story and serve more to keep Lara and Anna apart. I feel less in tune with the characters, who are supposed to be my gateway for this world.
Setting the main story in a boarding school (a YA staple) where porting is not allowed further makes it very difficult to interact with the greater tapestry of society. Despite the fact that I never felt like I got a sense of the school (aside from a few minor class asides), I felt trapped in the least interesting place when I was itching to see everything else which, I suppose, is exactly how the characters feel, so I guess that's a plus?
In terms of plot, things do hang together but there are several random bits and bobs that jut out and back in at odd times in the book, just lengthening its runtime and deadening its impact. For a nearly 450 page book, there are large swaths of details, characters, and events that could have been trimmed, excised entirely, or better yet folded into existing events. Everything goes on too long and is far too much when a much tighter focus would do.
Now, I've had a lot of negative things to say about this book, so you're probably wondering why I finished it at all, spent a bunch of effort writing this review, and gave it three stars. Well, the answer is because Point B is interesting and despite all of the above issues, I wanted to keep reading till the end (even though the last chapter could have been shortened into a single paragraph). Just like anyone living in this book, I wanted to see the world. I wanted to experience the inner workings and detailed minutia of everything going on, even though it was through the eyes of an irascible, hormone-fueled teenager.
At the end of the day, there's a really good book somewhere in Magary's Point B. It's the execution that keeps it from coming out.
Let's start with the good, though. The concept behind the novel is great. A world five-minutes into the future where teleportation through mobile devices has become the norm is a great setting for a story and Magary develops it well. Though it doesn't go into the details of the science behind teleporting (not that it ever should have), the effect this technology has on the world in terms of society, geopolitics, and economics is well-thought out and really very interesting. How does the world function when doors, walls, and borders are instantaneously wiped out? How do people live? How does this affect class and social strata? Magary provides great pieces of world-building in short asides from the main story, and these are the book's strength. They craft a complex interesting world that I want to see more of and investigate every nook and cranny of the implications of teleporting.
Where the book falls flat for me, though, is... everything else. The lens Magary has chosen to view this brave new world through is that of a YA coming of age novel. Now, that isn't particularly bad, per se, and I could see it being done to great effect, but Magary's execution of the concept leaves something to be desired.
The characters, including our sullen, angry protagonist Anna Huff, feel flat and unfeatured and at no point do I feel like I really know any of them. Their interactions seem bland at best, and driven by plot necessity at worst. Nowhere is this more clear than Anna's instantaneous infatuation with love-interest Lara Kirsch. We barely have time to know anything about her before we're told she's the greatest girl in the world, and she disappears a few pages later. I understand the random rush of teenage love, but it makes the whole thing feel very forced. Furthermore, the antagonists are cartoonishly cruel corporatists that dampen the effectiveness of the story and serve more to keep Lara and Anna apart. I feel less in tune with the characters, who are supposed to be my gateway for this world.
Setting the main story in a boarding school (a YA staple) where porting is not allowed further makes it very difficult to interact with the greater tapestry of society. Despite the fact that I never felt like I got a sense of the school (aside from a few minor class asides), I felt trapped in the least interesting place when I was itching to see everything else which, I suppose, is exactly how the characters feel, so I guess that's a plus?
In terms of plot, things do hang together but there are several random bits and bobs that jut out and back in at odd times in the book, just lengthening its runtime and deadening its impact. For a nearly 450 page book, there are large swaths of details, characters, and events that could have been trimmed, excised entirely, or better yet folded into existing events. Everything goes on too long and is far too much when a much tighter focus would do.
Now, I've had a lot of negative things to say about this book, so you're probably wondering why I finished it at all, spent a bunch of effort writing this review, and gave it three stars. Well, the answer is because Point B is interesting and despite all of the above issues, I wanted to keep reading till the end (even though the last chapter could have been shortened into a single paragraph). Just like anyone living in this book, I wanted to see the world. I wanted to experience the inner workings and detailed minutia of everything going on, even though it was through the eyes of an irascible, hormone-fueled teenager.
At the end of the day, there's a really good book somewhere in Magary's Point B. It's the execution that keeps it from coming out.