Before I get into my review, I want to give you, my readers, a bit of a back-story on this book because it's a pretty neat way that I came about reading it. It all started one night at a NYC bar. My sister and I were discussing the whole ESPN "Chink in the Armour" headline and the guy sitting next to us decided to give us his opinion on what happened. It turned out that he actually writes for ESPN. We got to talking and it came out that not only was he a writer like me (or better since he actually makes money from what he writes), but he graduated from Fordham like my sister. As the night progressed we had a great time talking together. My sister and him reminisced about their alma mater, him and I discussed writing and literature, and we all had a good amount of Jagerbombs and drinks. The next day I woke with quite the headache and an email from him with his soon-to-be-published novel attached. It took a few weeks to read because I hate reading long things on the computer, but I did it and now I'm going to share with you why you should purchase this once it comes out in stores!
Tim Struby, took on what I consider a very hard style by writing in the present tense. The story starts out with a hilarious scene about the main character's father having cut their hedges to resemble breasts and penises. From what I saw in that first chapter, I knew that there was going to be a lot of interesting happenings in the entire novel. I was not let down. The book follows Ned over the summer months. Tim described it to me as a coming-of-age tale, and in many ways it is, but in many ways it is something entirely different.
Ned is your normal, stereotypical, smart kid with a weird best friend- Douglas. Both boys have two dysfunctional parents and an older sister. Both boys don't seem to fit into their own homes. Ned escapes by bird watching, Douglas by hot-tubbing. Both boys also rely heavily on drugs and alcohol to get them through their lives. The two differ though in the fact that Ned seems to want to be socially accepted even if he doesn't pine over the idea, and Douglass can't wrap his highly intelligent mind around social etiquette and therefore can't even realize how far from being accepted he truly is. For me, the characters represented the turmoil of who Ned was on the inside in a physical way. Ned was Ned, the kid who gets caught by the cops and somehow gets the girl even if it's just for a moment. Douglas was Ned if he had been more outright with his intelligence and more troubled by his family life.
It may have been a typical summer for the boys had Mikey not shown up. Mikey was Ned's neighbor's grandson who was on house arrest. Over the summer he befriends the boys and they look up to him like a big brother. He gives them all confidence in themselves and never treats them as the social pariah that they were thought to be by their classmates. Through Mikey, Ned and Douglas even become friends with Nebbler, a boy who seemed strange even to them. This friendship leads the three boys to attend parties they may have skipped, to stand up to people they never would have stood up to, and to see others in ways that they would have never thought to before. Mikey, with all his problems, somehow teaches these boys to be better people, one could even argue that he was the catalyst to them coming into their manhood. The most amazing thing that Mikey does for Ned though is how he brings Ned's father back into reality.
One of the greatest strengths of the book is the immense wealth of knowledge that Struby shares with his readers. There must have been a lot of research that went into writing this book and it shows in a beautiful manner. Ned's fascination with birds made me both want to learn more about birds ad bird watching, and made me feel as though I would never look at a bird the same way. One of my least favorite things though was Douglas and his hot tub. The descriptions of how many times he fell asleep in his jacuzzi or the idea of him in the jacuzzi on a sweltering hot day made me want to vomit.
Overall, I think that once this is available, everyone should grab a copy. The book says a lot about life, about growing up, about love, about loss, and about friendship. There is a twist at the end that I didn't see coming and that makes me want to read the book all over again to see it from a different perspective. It is truly a work of art that can be appreciated by readers of all ages.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Recent feedback
So, since I always appreciate when people tell me how my stories talk to them and how they look at me as a writer, I decided to post some of my recent emails. If you don't agree with something someone said, if you think I'm terrible, speak up, because both good and bad reviews are helpful to me. I'm going to try and update this as people send me their thoughts, so don't be shy, I'm waiting to hear from you. -XOXO KABO
"Hey I just decided to tear through a big part of your blog. You have a talent for writing. The story about the dog and the women written from different perspectives was wonderful. It reminded me of an old Johnny Carson interview that can still bring tears to my eyes." -Eric, April 15, 2012
"Your stories are very interesting- I feel like you have an ability to write with an almost exclusive voice of your protagonist. This seems pretty unique to me.. It sometimes made me feel as you- the writer- were actually framing your personal experiences, actual events form your life, or thoughts in the form of these stories- which becomes erie as you have some twists, and unexpecedted intensity (in the case of the anti-semite piece). I also think its elegant how you end all your writing, with a whisper- not a bang. You seem to lead everything to a crescendo, only to quietly but poignantly fade it out at the end- a very nice style." -Italia, April 14, 2012
" Your blog is pretty fascinating. It's pretty dark but at the same time you've got a very unique style and voice in your writing, it's incredible. I think you've got a fantastic career ahead of you there." and, "For the record, I completely didn't mean "dark" to be negative or depressing or anything, just a unique tone - I guess "real" is probably the better word for it. Definitely impressed though, you've got a hell of a range of writing."
-Steve, April 10 &12, 2012
"I enjoyed your writing (The Eva Braun story was particuarly interesting and creative)" -Joe, April 8, 2012
"Hey I just decided to tear through a big part of your blog. You have a talent for writing. The story about the dog and the women written from different perspectives was wonderful. It reminded me of an old Johnny Carson interview that can still bring tears to my eyes." -Eric, April 15, 2012
"Your stories are very interesting- I feel like you have an ability to write with an almost exclusive voice of your protagonist. This seems pretty unique to me.. It sometimes made me feel as you- the writer- were actually framing your personal experiences, actual events form your life, or thoughts in the form of these stories- which becomes erie as you have some twists, and unexpecedted intensity (in the case of the anti-semite piece). I also think its elegant how you end all your writing, with a whisper- not a bang. You seem to lead everything to a crescendo, only to quietly but poignantly fade it out at the end- a very nice style." -Italia, April 14, 2012
" Your blog is pretty fascinating. It's pretty dark but at the same time you've got a very unique style and voice in your writing, it's incredible. I think you've got a fantastic career ahead of you there." and, "For the record, I completely didn't mean "dark" to be negative or depressing or anything, just a unique tone - I guess "real" is probably the better word for it. Definitely impressed though, you've got a hell of a range of writing."
-Steve, April 10 &12, 2012
"I enjoyed your writing (The Eva Braun story was particuarly interesting and creative)" -Joe, April 8, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Story written April 6th- Staying Firm (1st draft)
We had been on the perfect date. The fancy restaurant and nice bottle of wine made me feel like I was in a movie. Then he took me on a carriage ride around the park. We finished the night back at his place, cuddled up on the couch watching The Notebook, because he knows how much I love it. I had never felt so openly happy in my life.
“Happy six month anniversary baby,” he smiled, “I love you so much and am so happy I found you.”
I leaned in to kiss him, “I’m the lucky one, you chose to be with me when you could have had anyone you wanted.”
The kiss was passionate. He grabbed the back of my hair and pulled me into him. Our bodied were so close it felt as if they were in danger of defying the laws of physics and blending into the same space. I had to pull away for breath, but it felt as though there was a gravitational pull resisting my lungs’ desire for air.
“Let’s do it babe,” he panted, “let’s make this night perfect.”
My heart froze in my chest, I could hear my blood stop flowing in my veins. “You know I love you,” I stammered, “and I know you love me, so you have to accept that I want to wait until I am married to lose my virginity.”
The change in him was immediate. He pulled back and stared at me with eyes full of disgust. “Are you serious?” The tone in his voice reminded me of one of those teen-bopper flicks with the bitchy cheerleader who talks down to everyone.
“Jason, please don’t do this. You knew how I felt before we started going out, just like I knew your reputation. You told me I was worth it.”
“You are such a bitch. You’ve got to be kidding me, we’ve been together this long and you won’t even touch it. You are twenty-four years old and you are scared of my penis. Get a life. Having sex doesn’t make you a bad person, it’s fun and it feels good. I don’t understand what your problem is. I thought you loved me, but maybe this is just some twisted game.”
I held back my tears, how could he turn this around on me and say I was just playing a game with him? My mother had always told me that the right man would be willing to wait for me. I knew Jason was a playboy when we met, but I saw the softer side of him and gave him a chance. My mom told me he was bad news and she could see it from a mile away. My friends told me that he would break my heart, use me and let me go. I told everybody off.
“What, just going to sit there and stare at me?” he said. His eyebrows were pulled down, his lips boxed up, and his nose scrunched. If he hadn’t of been angry with me it would have been an adorable confused expression, but the anger behind it made it scary. “Fine,” he stood up, “there’s the door, get out.”
“Jason, don’t,” I reached out for him, “it’s been such a good night, please. Sit down with me and let’s finish the movie.”
“It was a good night until you ruined it. I did everything I could to make this special. I’ve never been with anyone this long, I thought you would see that and understand that I need a little something to keep me interested. I turn down offers for sex all the time because I don’t want to hurt you by cheating, but why? Why should I care about how you feel when you don’t seem to care about my needs? I don’t want to look at your face, get out or I’ll call the cops and they can make you leave.” He walked to the front door and opened it, “Now!”
Tears started to run down my cheeks. I slowly started to rise, I felt lost. I didn’t know what he meant. Was it just a small fight or was this the end? He had never kicked me out any time we had fought. He looked so sure of his choice. My whole body started to shake and my head felt like I was on an extreme roller coaster. I couldn’t get my bearings and I stumbled. Jason didn’t even flinch to help me up. It was only a few feet but it felt like it took ages. I made it to the door and tried to look him in the eye. I hoped he would just grab me and tell me he was sorry for it, that it was all just a mistake. Instead, he took out his phone and dialed a number. As he closed the door I heard him say, “Hey, Bobby, it’s Jason. Want to come over and hang out?”
It was at that moment that I wished I hadn’t of been born gay. Women seemed to be so much more understanding of wanting to wait for marriage. Gay men were so stereotypical about just hooking up and not making a commitment to wait for the right person. I think that even if Jason were straight he would have been a manwhore, but I felt so little knowing everyone had been right about him except for me.
“Happy six month anniversary baby,” he smiled, “I love you so much and am so happy I found you.”
I leaned in to kiss him, “I’m the lucky one, you chose to be with me when you could have had anyone you wanted.”
The kiss was passionate. He grabbed the back of my hair and pulled me into him. Our bodied were so close it felt as if they were in danger of defying the laws of physics and blending into the same space. I had to pull away for breath, but it felt as though there was a gravitational pull resisting my lungs’ desire for air.
“Let’s do it babe,” he panted, “let’s make this night perfect.”
My heart froze in my chest, I could hear my blood stop flowing in my veins. “You know I love you,” I stammered, “and I know you love me, so you have to accept that I want to wait until I am married to lose my virginity.”
The change in him was immediate. He pulled back and stared at me with eyes full of disgust. “Are you serious?” The tone in his voice reminded me of one of those teen-bopper flicks with the bitchy cheerleader who talks down to everyone.
“Jason, please don’t do this. You knew how I felt before we started going out, just like I knew your reputation. You told me I was worth it.”
“You are such a bitch. You’ve got to be kidding me, we’ve been together this long and you won’t even touch it. You are twenty-four years old and you are scared of my penis. Get a life. Having sex doesn’t make you a bad person, it’s fun and it feels good. I don’t understand what your problem is. I thought you loved me, but maybe this is just some twisted game.”
I held back my tears, how could he turn this around on me and say I was just playing a game with him? My mother had always told me that the right man would be willing to wait for me. I knew Jason was a playboy when we met, but I saw the softer side of him and gave him a chance. My mom told me he was bad news and she could see it from a mile away. My friends told me that he would break my heart, use me and let me go. I told everybody off.
“What, just going to sit there and stare at me?” he said. His eyebrows were pulled down, his lips boxed up, and his nose scrunched. If he hadn’t of been angry with me it would have been an adorable confused expression, but the anger behind it made it scary. “Fine,” he stood up, “there’s the door, get out.”
“Jason, don’t,” I reached out for him, “it’s been such a good night, please. Sit down with me and let’s finish the movie.”
“It was a good night until you ruined it. I did everything I could to make this special. I’ve never been with anyone this long, I thought you would see that and understand that I need a little something to keep me interested. I turn down offers for sex all the time because I don’t want to hurt you by cheating, but why? Why should I care about how you feel when you don’t seem to care about my needs? I don’t want to look at your face, get out or I’ll call the cops and they can make you leave.” He walked to the front door and opened it, “Now!”
Tears started to run down my cheeks. I slowly started to rise, I felt lost. I didn’t know what he meant. Was it just a small fight or was this the end? He had never kicked me out any time we had fought. He looked so sure of his choice. My whole body started to shake and my head felt like I was on an extreme roller coaster. I couldn’t get my bearings and I stumbled. Jason didn’t even flinch to help me up. It was only a few feet but it felt like it took ages. I made it to the door and tried to look him in the eye. I hoped he would just grab me and tell me he was sorry for it, that it was all just a mistake. Instead, he took out his phone and dialed a number. As he closed the door I heard him say, “Hey, Bobby, it’s Jason. Want to come over and hang out?”
It was at that moment that I wished I hadn’t of been born gay. Women seemed to be so much more understanding of wanting to wait for marriage. Gay men were so stereotypical about just hooking up and not making a commitment to wait for the right person. I think that even if Jason were straight he would have been a manwhore, but I felt so little knowing everyone had been right about him except for me.
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