Correction - fiction.
I’ve read this book, but I haven’t yet taken on the remaining two tomes in this trilogy. It was an imaginative, and often page-turning, read.
— Chris
Gee, thanks, Paul, but I hate to get praise for writing something so negative. 
Plus I feel a little bad knowing how many people, even here, likely loved the book. But it is what it is. I read a passage aloud to my brother as an example, and he said it reminded him of would-be journalist Luther Higgs (Don Knotts in *The Ghost and Mr. Chicken) writing “the horribleness and awfulness of it will never actually be realized.” 
I can certainly see why Theo of Golden didn’t work for you, but I had a pretty different reaction to it. I didn’t really see the simple prose as bad writing so much as a deliberate choice—it felt more like a modern fable to me, very direct and sincere about kindness, generosity, and the way small acts can affect people. I also didn’t mind the slower pace because I saw Theo’s mission less as the plot and more as a way for us to meet people and hear their stories. I do agree the book is very earnest, and I can absolutely understand how that might come across as sentimental or a little too obvious to some readers. For me, though, that sincerity was part of what made it work. I also liked the ending, but I think it landed for me because of all those quiet little encounters leading up to it. So I wouldn’t argue that anyone has to like the book, but I do think there’s a difference between saying “this really wasn’t for me” and saying the author simply doesn’t know how to write.
“Upperdown” by David Brennan - twisted, well crafted, sort of but not really ‘Catcher in the Rye’ had Hitchcock written it. Re-reading while I await delivery of his second offering, ‘Spit.’
Excellent review, thoughtful and well expressed.
I absolutely understand the appeal of the book, and how some readers appreciate its pace. As I said, the story line got me to buy the book, after all. My issues were with the structure of the novel and the quality of writing. And perhaps you’re right, that the prose was a conscious decision by the author, chosen to better serve the nature of his story, but I think the chances of that are slim. A good writer can simplify his prose but still structure the story in a way that avoids sentimentality and cliche. Either way, we’d need to see more from the author to know whether it’s true that the writing was a stylistic choice.
I admit that it’s completely true that the story “wasn’t for me,” but that’s not what troubled me about the book. I honestly think this particular collection of words wouldn’t have made it out of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop as a student project. For good examples of this kind of fiction, I’d recommend something from the late Wendell Berry or Ferrol Sams.
An ant and a spider in a graveyard are the only witnesses to a brief conversation between two astronomers about one’s theory of cosmic sociology. Two axiomatic predicates: “One, survival is the primary need of a civilization. Two, civilizations constantly grow and expand but the total matter in the universe remains constant.” After 512 pages we finally understand the eventual long game of those brief introductory axioms. Around 200 pages into this one I felt like I did reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Unlike the first book’s many forays into various scientific ideas applicability to possible future technological innovations, this one focuses more on big sociological ideas and philosophical ruminations. Can’t wait to read what Cixin Liu’s fertile imagination has in store in the next two books of the series.
Good books. But be aware that one does not read them for the story. Very little happens.
Kara’s previous book Cobalt Red had a profound impact on my lifestyle.
