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Loveable characters:
No
It was odd to read a book in which there are absolutely no characters that aren't utterly despicable rapist torturers and still be expected to root for them. It didn't work for me - I couldn't be on their side, even a little bit. And the ludicrously underdeveloped romantic relationships were a joke. And yet, somehow, this felt like Laymon's most emotionally mature work. It can almost be read as a sort of comment on the cruelty and sadism that lurks inside good, all-America kids. In that sense it reminded me a little of Stephen King's Apt Pupil.
I can't not mention the utterly disgusting depiction of homeless people, either. I'm not sure if Laymon was subtly implying that the homeless population in this book was specifically, like, bred for evil or something? Like purposefully and genetically? But he's not an author known for his nuance, and I feel like if that were the case he'd have spelled it out. I think perhaps he has just never actually engaged with anyone who's experienced homelessness, and just truly thinks this is what unhoused people are like. Murderous, raving rapists, all. I suppose he does at least make every non-homeless character equally vile. In this book, especially, it's almost possible to read the story as a sort of dystopian nightmare reality in which everyone is a psychopathic sadist and nobody has any empathy or kindness, though I'm not sure if that's intentional, or if Laymon just saw the world that way.
I can't not mention the utterly disgusting depiction of homeless people, either. I'm not sure if Laymon was subtly implying that the homeless population in this book was specifically, like, bred for evil or something? Like purposefully and genetically? But he's not an author known for his nuance, and I feel like if that were the case he'd have spelled it out. I think perhaps he has just never actually engaged with anyone who's experienced homelessness, and just truly thinks this is what unhoused people are like. Murderous, raving rapists, all. I suppose he does at least make every non-homeless character equally vile. In this book, especially, it's almost possible to read the story as a sort of dystopian nightmare reality in which everyone is a psychopathic sadist and nobody has any empathy or kindness, though I'm not sure if that's intentional, or if Laymon just saw the world that way.