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A review by claudiaswisher
Unsoul'd by Barry Lyga
4.0
Barry Lyga...love the boy. His mind goes sick, sick places. He puts his characters into untenable situations. He toys with them. He does that here.
Randall is a published author who wants more. He hasn't had any real success...and is willing to sell his soul to the....whoops. There is the devil, surfer-dude, snarky to the max. Ready to give Randall everything he wants.
Randall is not likable...he is fixated on sex, a symptom of his disconnect which the real world. Randall is a little man, with talent, but a disaster in many ways. That's exactly WHY the devil wants him. The world is too hopeful, too willing to read uplifting, inspiring stories (one author is descriped in sufficient detail to be identified)! Of course, Randall and the reader are not privy to the devil's motivation until much later...The deal is sealed, and the story takes off.
I liked the conversations between Randall and the devil -- always lower case. They're equally matched intellectually...they spar and argue. The devil has to explain the metaphor in the story of the Garden of Eden. Funny!
How low will Randall fall on his rise to the top? Is there any hope? Most of the people in his life are as screwed up as he is...except his best friend Trayvon...the women are interchange-able and one dimensional, because that's the only way he sees them. He is trying to substitute this revolving door of beautiful women, all of whom probably deserve much more than he can ever give thme, for real relationships, true caring...all that good stuff that happens when people really care for each other.
Fascinating book about fame and creativity and good and evil....and waaay too much sex - but Randall is developmentally about 17 when it comes to women.
Randall is a published author who wants more. He hasn't had any real success...and is willing to sell his soul to the....whoops. There is the devil, surfer-dude, snarky to the max. Ready to give Randall everything he wants.
Randall is not likable...he is fixated on sex, a symptom of his disconnect which the real world. Randall is a little man, with talent, but a disaster in many ways. That's exactly WHY the devil wants him. The world is too hopeful, too willing to read uplifting, inspiring stories (one author is descriped in sufficient detail to be identified)! Of course, Randall and the reader are not privy to the devil's motivation until much later...The deal is sealed, and the story takes off.
I liked the conversations between Randall and the devil -- always lower case. They're equally matched intellectually...they spar and argue. The devil has to explain the metaphor in the story of the Garden of Eden. Funny!
How low will Randall fall on his rise to the top? Is there any hope? Most of the people in his life are as screwed up as he is...except his best friend Trayvon...the women are interchange-able and one dimensional, because that's the only way he sees them. He is trying to substitute this revolving door of beautiful women, all of whom probably deserve much more than he can ever give thme, for real relationships, true caring...all that good stuff that happens when people really care for each other.
Fascinating book about fame and creativity and good and evil....and waaay too much sex - but Randall is developmentally about 17 when it comes to women.