Theodore Weesner (1935–2015)

When I read the blurb my ears perked up a bit. I mean, really. A young boy, Alex, abandoned by his mother, his father was either working night shifts or drinking. So Alex starts skipping school, stealing cars, smoking. I thought it was really interesting.

And it was, don't get me wrong. It was an interesting story. The reader gets to see Alex grow up from a troubled teenager to a young man enlisted in the Army. And you get to see the struggles he overcomes. Stealing cars, getting arrested, being released from detention and going back to school where he's just as alone as before. You get to see all that.

I felt the pacing was a little too slow for me. The inner monologue at times dragged a little too much for my comfort.

Also, there where moments where I didn't connect at all with Alex. I mean, I understood his reasons for doing what he did. He wanted attention, he needed to fit in and he did whatever it took. But there were too many moments of "he didn't want to do this, but he kept doing it", "he didn't want to be here, but he didn't leave", "he didn't want to eat, but he kept eating" and other similar moments. It was in those moments that I couldn't help but think "well, if you don't want to..., don't". Those moments pulled me out of the story a few times.

It is possible that I had high expectations to begin with. My experience with coming-of-age stories isn't that big, so maybe that's a factor.

If you like coming-of-age stories, this could be the book for you.… (más)

It was my first book from Theodore Weesner, so I can’t compare it to his other works. When I read the book description, I must say I expected something very different from what I read. I expected it to be more like “All Quiet on the Western Front”, but more modern. Well, it wasn’t. There are two main characters exchanging letters, but I didn’t feel the connection between them. There is a lot happening, but I couldn’t feel the sympathy towards Murphy (the protagonist). Partly due to the racial issues. I couldn’t also say that the writing style did a lot for me. I suppose if you’re a fan of the author, you’d be thrilled to read the book. I just wasn’t into it.… (más)