Summary: Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.
After stealing Shelly’s ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly’s body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last “so Shelly” romantic quest. At least that’s what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly’s and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.
My Thoughts: I was interested in this one because of its being marketed as loosely based on the Romantic poets Percy Shelley; George Gordon, Lord Byron; and John Keats. As an English major, I studied them a few times in college, including in a class on the Romantics. That swayed me, despite my being uncertain of the book after reading the synopsis.
Let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t buy it.
It’s not bad, but I don’t think I’d say I liked it.
Shelly is an interesting character, but I never really got a feel for who she was. While a lot happens to, around, and because of her, I didn’t feel she was very deep. We don’t ever really get a peek inside her head, and I think the story suffers as a result. It could be so much deeper, so much more Romantic if we heard from her once or twice. Maybe a letter or journal/diary entry – or even a blog. Gordon is – well, there’s no better way to say this – and asshole. There is absolutely nothing about him that isn’t negative – at least nothing that I could see. Sure, he was a stud muffin, but that’s not a redeeming quality. Just makes his transgressions easier to commit. And John, I liked him. He was a good narrator, and I loved his voice.
The narrative was written in a clever style. There were some passages that I just was in awe of the way they were written, and wondered at the creativity. It takes a gift to be so eloquent so consistently, and I did enjoy reading those parts. (The book is full of them, so it’s a real treat to read the author’s playing with words as he does so well.)
I do NOT think it should be marketed as a YA novel. Yes, it’s about teenagers, but I don’t think I’d want my young teen reading this. (Maybe late teens or early 20s, but definitely not younger than 17 or 18.) There are so many things I’d consider more adult topics. Suicide, incest, rape, sex (lots and lots of it), terrorism … I dunno. I just don’t think this is in the scope of YA. While the characters are young, the events of the novel are quite mature.
Now, with all of that said, I’m struggling with my rating for this. I didn’t particularly like the story very much, and I felt at times like it was work to get back into the story. But, I love how a lot of it is written. I love Roth’s use of words and descriptiveness. So, do I rate based on the merits of the writing style (which I loved) or based on the story itself, which I definitely didn’t like all that much …
I think I’ll do something new and different: do both. Generally, I don’t do it this way, but I think it’s important to recognize the strengths of the writing while not giving high praises to the story itself.
Favorite Quotes: I didn’t really include the aforementioned awe-inspiring passages, as most were longer than I generally like to share. (I prefer to keep it to a line or two, sometimes three.) But the ones below either resonated with me or were passages I enjoyed.
Here’s a little secret: love always disappoints. It’s the conscious choice to love someone or not to love someone, despite the disappointment, that makes it beautiful. ~ page 2
I really like this statement. There’s profound truth in it.
It’s weird how soon you forget a dead person’s face. I think it’s because people wear so many of them that when you try to recall just one, you get a blurred blending that renders that one version, which you’re trying so desperately to see, unrecognizable. ~ page 158
I can relate to this one. I have lost a lot of people who were important to me, and very few are clear pictures in my mind. It’s amazing how quickly that happens, and I just loved how this was presented.
The so-called paved road, however, was more of a dirt path covered in loose stones, stones that must have been suffering from some form of island claustrophobia, since so many were making a mad attempt to join our journey and to escape their exile by stowing away in our shoes.
~ page 180
This is one of those passages that I just truly enjoyed. Really. The creativity and imagery. Love it.
It’s funny how seconds become minutes become hours become weeks become months become years become lifetimes without us doing the many things we promise ourselves we will. ~ page 299
Something, I think, we all can relate to.
My Rating: writing style gets 4 stars ~ the story gets 2 stars ~ average is 3 stars
Source: My local library.
Read It: Get your own copy HERE.
Challenges: Counts for 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011.
FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.
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