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A review by mcf
Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff
3.0
For about the first third of this book, I was totally entranced by its dreamy romanticism. Told in first person by a 15-year-old semi-runaway, it's the story of falling in love (twice), and the family that grows up around a kid during the summer months he spends on the streets. There are dark moments and themes, certainly, but the overall tone is glossy and wonderful -- Brooklyn has never looked better, no one has ever sung more beautifully, and freedom (even temporary freedom) has never been more possible.
Eventually, though, the tone and outlook shift from endearing and charming to wearing and tiresome, and the characters start to appear less quirky just arrogant and/or naive. Even when that happens, the book remains entirely readable, but the story is inevitably less compelling, and what had once been urgent ends up tired and pat.
Eventually, though, the tone and outlook shift from endearing and charming to wearing and tiresome, and the characters start to appear less quirky just arrogant and/or naive. Even when that happens, the book remains entirely readable, but the story is inevitably less compelling, and what had once been urgent ends up tired and pat.