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A review by lezreadalot
Sprout by Dale Peck
4.0
This novel, to be honest, lives up to that cliché: un-put-down-able. I read it over the span of several hours: the narrative was fun, charming, candid and absolutely easy to read. I didn't exactly speed through it, either, because it's that kind of novel that also has passages that you want to spend a little time on, think about, let sink in; both for the linguistic and textual quality. Sprout was such a good, fun, clever narrator and protagonist, and I found myself rooting for him 100%, from the first page. The humour was tempered with honest and commendable handling of the themes of sexuality, death, and abuse.
**SPOILERS**
Things I really enjoyed: Mrs. Miller, the portrayal of the relationship between Sprout and his dad, Sprout's writing. The little stories and vignettes that he wrote for Mrs. Miller felt like that came from him, and not from Peck. Reiterating: he was such a good, real narrator.
Caveats: Ian and Ruthie sort of got dropped by the wayside, which I suppose went hand in hand with Sprout becoming closer to Ty, but the lack of information and closure bothers me. The non-linear narrative, while completely in character for Sprout, got a little tired and a little irritating? And that crucial moment in the closet, where Sprout fails Ty... it came out of nowhere. I really felt like more needed to be done to make it more credible, or sad, or poignant, or whatever Peck was going for.
All in all, it's definitely a book that I'd recommend to anyone, despite my little complaints. Sprout-the-kid, even more than Sprout-the-book, made me laugh and smile, and gave me a lot of things to mull over. Perhaps he'll do the same for you.
**SPOILERS**
Things I really enjoyed: Mrs. Miller, the portrayal of the relationship between Sprout and his dad, Sprout's writing. The little stories and vignettes that he wrote for Mrs. Miller felt like that came from him, and not from Peck. Reiterating: he was such a good, real narrator.
Caveats: Ian and Ruthie sort of got dropped by the wayside, which I suppose went hand in hand with Sprout becoming closer to Ty, but the lack of information and closure bothers me. The non-linear narrative, while completely in character for Sprout, got a little tired and a little irritating? And that crucial moment in the closet, where Sprout fails Ty... it came out of nowhere. I really felt like more needed to be done to make it more credible, or sad, or poignant, or whatever Peck was going for.
All in all, it's definitely a book that I'd recommend to anyone, despite my little complaints. Sprout-the-kid, even more than Sprout-the-book, made me laugh and smile, and gave me a lot of things to mull over. Perhaps he'll do the same for you.