Spooner

Spooner


By: Pete Dexter
Reviewed by: Yaz, 16
Rating: It was alright...


The back cover's description of this book was the hook that led me to read it. The story of a troubled adolescent and his kind step-father who embarks on "his lifelong struggle to salvage his stepson, a man he would never understand." If this is a theme that the author wished to portray, he falls dramatically short in doing so. I guess the best way to put it is that I never did get to know the characters, I never did get to think their thoughts, feel their emotions etc. None of the relationships in the book resonated with me. The whole relationship between Spooner and Calmer seemed besides the point and lacked profundity.

The book is terribly uneven in its portrayal of Spooner. As a youth he is a troublemaker and the author leads you to believe Spooner's barely literate. Yet he becomes a journalist. He is also seemingly happily married to his wife. Their chemistry is something we see nothing of. In the end if I ask myself, What kind of person is Spooner? I am left with no coherent answer since the book provides none.

I compliment the author's descriptive writing and prose. Sometimes it is masterful. But it is not enough to make up for the other faults of the novel.


Recommended to: 15+