A review by ambassadorfae
The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini

3.0

This was waaaayyyy better than Be More Chill, but the pervasive sexism and objectification of women remains impossible to stomach. I wanted to like Perry so much. But his self-centered view on life and his consistent lack of empathy made him feel like more of a psychopath than a loveable dork. His enthusiasm for adventuring was born more from boredom, egotism and quest for glory than it was from an earnest desire to help. The glib violence was disturbing too, the obvious brainchild of someone who is/was willing to kill. I can't get on that wavelength. D&D references along the lines of Ready Player One, I am here for. I liked that he structured the whole thing like a campaign - you can almost count up the dice roles, xp, hp, charisma and damage. I liked the imaginative nature of the story. Ghetto camp made me a bit squeamish. Definitely more of a 2012 vibe than 2020. The romance aspect was a hot mess. No: you cannot get with a frog man and still be a contender. Sorry. As far as an arc for personal development...tell me again why his game was akin to smoking crack? Did we learn anything, Perry? Did we grow? Are we smarter now, braver now, better now? Or did we just do some stuff, get hurt, heal, and want to do more stupid stuff??