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A review by apermal2
Arkansas by John Brandon
3.0
I liked this book. It moved quickly and for the most part I thought the characters were well developed. My only complaint with the characters was near the end when a whole bunch of shit hits the fan and the deadpan writing starts to feel thin. I liked Johnna but felt that some of her reactions were a bit lacking and unrealistic.
I was annoyed by Swin's attitude though I thought he was better realized than Kyle. I never really clicked with Kyle, who I think entered a life of crime because it turned out he was god at it. You have to figure that some people just are, just as some people are really good at composing music. That was interesting, but Swin's case was more difficult. His hyper inflated sense of himself (while annoying at times) perhaps made him think that he was above everything. He felt a pull though towards the blue collar, towards the normal life. It was this conflict that made his story interesting.
Frog's story made for a fun interlude, but his breakdown at the end fell flat for me. Other than these complaints I liked the novel and finished it quite quickly. I almost didn't read it after reading the positive (but obnoxious) review in the SF Chronicle. It isn't really pertinent, but that review made me cringe.
I was annoyed by Swin's attitude though I thought he was better realized than Kyle. I never really clicked with Kyle, who I think entered a life of crime because it turned out he was god at it. You have to figure that some people just are, just as some people are really good at composing music. That was interesting, but Swin's case was more difficult. His hyper inflated sense of himself (while annoying at times) perhaps made him think that he was above everything. He felt a pull though towards the blue collar, towards the normal life. It was this conflict that made his story interesting.
Frog's story made for a fun interlude, but his breakdown at the end fell flat for me. Other than these complaints I liked the novel and finished it quite quickly. I almost didn't read it after reading the positive (but obnoxious) review in the SF Chronicle. It isn't really pertinent, but that review made me cringe.