Okay, I warned you, my reviews are less than brilliant. I don't like to give too much of the story away because I think that is one of the treasures of reading-discovering along the way. So, I'll tell you a bit about what I loved, basically, the review I posted on Amazon (where I purchased the book):
The characters in this novel were so richly drawn and multi-layered, I felt as if I knew them-I wanted to cry with some, and slap others. The story line is timely, and I appreciated the approach from the omniscient (and surprising) narrator, allowing insight into the different players in a small town and their thoughts, concerns, and actions in regards to a teenage boy being beaten by bullies over his perceived homosexuality. One thing that struck me, and really set the tone of the story for me, was the thoughts of several people at the school who kind of, sort of, or not at all, knew Chris (the victim) but would 'light a candle for him' just the same. Justin Bog is a very skilled writer and I can't imagine this story being told any differently and having the same impact.
Highly recommend for parents, school workers, teenagers.
From the back of the book (for those that want to know what the book is about):
- A FATHER IS HAUNTED BY HIS PAST -- HIS WIFE LIVES HER LIFE IN A RIGID SHELL -- THEIR SON, UNTETHERED, DISCOVERS THE SECRET THEY SHARE WITH DEEPIKA, A VISITOR TO THEIR TOWN.
"I see
all of these people. They're living and breathing and acting on their
basest impulses. I lay in a coma. They live. I hover over all of them,
all at once. I can see my body, motionless, wired up, adrift. And I can
find out why this happened. This is my story and I won't remember any of
it when--if--I wake up. But I'll try to remember--I'll try damn hard."
- MIDDLETON, MONTANA --OCTOBER 2004--AN ELECTION YEAR
A
small college town's populace is tied, complicitly, to the brutal
attack of a teenage boy by four of his classmates. Soon, heated rumors
of a possible hate crime surface. Injustice is a hungry beast.
- While Chris Bullet remains unresponsive in a coma, his skull shattered, he floats above dire circumstance. In this phantom state, compelled to witness his past once more, the family's darkest secrets, hidden over generations, will be aired.
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| Justin Bog and Kipling |
2 comments:
I thought that was a great review!! You convinced me to buy it!
Hey, Kelly, thank you very much for reading Wake Me Up and sharing your thoughts. I like being in the same writing pond with you, and also love placing you (and Erica) in my created worlds from time to time. I now believe you appear in two separate worlds! ever and onward . . . and thank you, Jenifer; I hope Chris Bullet's tale makes for entertaining reading . . .
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