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srirachareadsalot 's review for:
What I Leave Behind
by Alison McGhee
I've been reading a lot of mediocre books as of late, and I don't know if it's a me problem (aka the devils spawn, aka a book slump) or if the books i'm just reading are all collectively bleh.
For my sake, let's hope its option 2.
What I Leave Behind follows the thoughts and actions of a boy named Will who's life has been thrown upside down after the suicide of his father, and now the sexual assault his best friend has suffered, something Will blames himself for. The story doesn't have a Point A to B plot, instead focusing on Will's every day actions, such as working at the dollar store, visiting the Chinese blessings, trying to make his dad's infamous cornbread to honour his memory.
To add, the book is told in 100 chapters, each lasting 100 words for a total of 10,000 words in the book, something that holds special meaning in the book and brings a unique feel to the book.
The book wasn't bad per se, but with the mix of the "no plot" thing and the "100" thing the enjoyment was a little... off. The book became really repetitive; it was go to work, make cornbread, briefly talk to "Superman", the homeless man, and sometimes talk to Playa, the aforementioned best friend. The chapters felt forced when they were constricted to only 100 pages and lost momentum when they were so short and abrupt.
Will was a cute kid and I felt a lot for him, which is something I feel is hard with the story is written. i liked reading about him and his grief and thought processes were heart-wrenching at times, but overall the book was just...meh.
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you want to know "what i leave behind" as i continue on the course of life?
this forgettable book :/
review to come tmrw morning bc im hecka tired
For my sake, let's hope its option 2.
What I Leave Behind follows the thoughts and actions of a boy named Will who's life has been thrown upside down after the suicide of his father, and now the sexual assault his best friend has suffered, something Will blames himself for. The story doesn't have a Point A to B plot, instead focusing on Will's every day actions, such as working at the dollar store, visiting the Chinese blessings, trying to make his dad's infamous cornbread to honour his memory.
To add, the book is told in 100 chapters, each lasting 100 words for a total of 10,000 words in the book, something that holds special meaning in the book and brings a unique feel to the book.
The book wasn't bad per se, but with the mix of the "no plot" thing and the "100" thing the enjoyment was a little... off. The book became really repetitive; it was go to work, make cornbread, briefly talk to "Superman", the homeless man, and sometimes talk to Playa, the aforementioned best friend. The chapters felt forced when they were constricted to only 100 pages and lost momentum when they were so short and abrupt.
Will was a cute kid and I felt a lot for him, which is something I feel is hard with the story is written. i liked reading about him and his grief and thought processes were heart-wrenching at times, but overall the book was just...meh.
----------
you want to know "what i leave behind" as i continue on the course of life?
this forgettable book :/
review to come tmrw morning bc im hecka tired