Author: Willy Vlautin
3 out of 5 Stars
Plot Background:
Two brothers living in Nevada, Jerry Lee and Frank Flannigan, are on the run after Jerry Lee was involved in a hit and run accident that killed a boy. They have been down on their luck for some time, and have been utterly forgotten by the world since their mother died. They have bounced around, living in hotels and gambling or drinking beer. They have dreams, but no idea how to get there.
My Thoughts:
This book left me with very mixed feelings. It had good and bad qualities, and was very very derivative of "Of Mice and Men" (but I will not go into that story, because it will leave me ranting). I will start with the good qualities.
The best thing about this book, and the thing I enjoyed most, were Frank's mini-stories. He would tell his brother stories, made up stories, to try to get their minds off of things. One story that I loved was about a pirate ship with a cross dressing captain who gets eaten by sharks, for example. The little stories that Frank tells are so vivid and so beautifully written, that it really takes you miles away from the real story that is happening outside his little tales, which I am sure was the point of putting them in. The author really does have a talent for writing, you can see it in those little stories, in the little moments.
I also liked Frank, he was a character that I think a lot of people can really relate to. He has been down on his luck, and even though he is a smart kid he makes stupid choices. I didn't care for Jerry Lee as much, but he was not a terrible guy.
The one thing I would have liked more of, though, were Frank's emotions. He was so detached, (again I will reference Mersault from The Stranger, but he really fits the bill). Jerry Lee is always saying how he feels, he is constantly talking and saying nothing, but Frank really doesn't show his emotions much. Part of me wants to attribute this to lack of character development, but Frank was developed more in other areas of the story. I also felt like, when certain big things happened in the plot (no spoilers this time don't worry), Frank should have reacted differently, like he lacked a human reaction. When something big happens toward the end, there was no build up and there was no great epiphany, it just happened and he leaves. I felt that this was somewhat out of character for him.
Another thing I didn't like about the story, was the mundane. The pacing seemed slow sometimes because every single step or breath that Frank took was being described. "I walked down to the store and bought four beers and three pieces of bacon. I sat down on the ground and ate the bacon with the dog. I got up and looked around." (that is an example-- NOT a direct quote). It made the story feel a little slow sometimes.
This leads me to the last thing I did not care for: climax. There was none. I kept waiting and waiting, but nothing really was building-- nothing big anyway. I love my novels to have a climax that changes the people in the story, some big moment or even small moments that make up a big moment, but none ever came. If he had maybe made the police investigation bigger, or even made the ending with Jerry Lee bigger, it might have felt more like the plot was improved.
In general, this was not an awful book, but it was not my favorite. It is only $1.99, so it is a purchase I would make soon, even if you aren't sure it is a good one to have on the back burner in case you are bored in a waiting room or something.
Click here for the Kindle Edition of the Book
Happy Reading!!!
Reviewed by Krista Byrd
Photo courtesy of Amazon.com
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