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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book. I did not like the ending, but I guess I can't like them all. Evan was a very real character, and relatable I'm sure to many young adults. I feel like there's a character in the book for everyone to relate to, almost.
Initial reaction: Yeah, I'll have to think about this one. Evan's account and voice was very good, I definitely appreciated the story on many levels as to how it pulled me into the narrative and didn't let go. I did have a few issues with it, but overall, I really liked this first read from Carrie Mesrobian.
Full review:
Beautifully written and compelling novel in Carrie Mesrobian's "Sex & Violence" - I would personally put this among my favorites for its subject matter alongside Laurie Halse Anderson's "Twisted" and Alex Finn's "Breathing Underwater." The reason I evoke comparisons to those two novels is that this book takes on some very tough issues from the perspective of a young male narrator, and does so very well in a way that feels realistic. It's not without caveats, but I found it hard to put this book down, if for the fact that Evan's voice pulled me into his respective thoughts and conflicts.
Evan's a 17-18 year old boy who has a hard time settling down in his life. His father moves them to so many places, making him have a hard time forming relationships and any kind of significant attachments. Particularly, this factor is mirrored in his sexual relationships with girls as well, until the day he's brutally beaten while in the showers.
His father moves them from North Carolina to Pearl Lake, Minnesota for the summer. Evan has to heal in more ways than one, from getting a therapist to navigating his relationships along with the people he meets, to wrestling his own internal demons and learning to define himself individually as well as sexually. This book has quite a few slower/quiet paced moments - but it vets the character's mentality and struggles very well. Evan has body issues, sex issues, insecurities about his being that I think resonate well for one his age. There's quite a bit of exploration on teen sexuality, drug use, among other things in this narrative that don't pull punches. While Evan isn't always the most likable character, the way he evolves over time and the way the narrative unravels his insecurities and pains really got to me. His relationship with Colette is defined from the beginning of the novel (he writes her unaddressed letters on the part of a therapeutic intervention), but his ultimate relationships with Blake, Layne, his father, uncle, among others color the novel very well.
I wouldn't call "Sex and Violence" a romance at all, but more of a grief/tough subject/coming of age story. There are times when it's very humorous (in a dark way - Evan has quite a few one-liners that made me chuckle through the narrative). Even as I mention it held my attention - I did notice the pacing was more sluggish in certain areas of the narrative than it should've been. It didn't prevent me from seeing how well thought out this narrative was in addressing the themes that it did, and from appreciating how Evan progresses from his PTSD to moving forward with his life and learning from his past and present terms. I'd certainly recommend it for its audience and beyond for what it brings to the table, especially in progressive conversations about its themes.
Overall score: 4/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
Full review:
Beautifully written and compelling novel in Carrie Mesrobian's "Sex & Violence" - I would personally put this among my favorites for its subject matter alongside Laurie Halse Anderson's "Twisted" and Alex Finn's "Breathing Underwater." The reason I evoke comparisons to those two novels is that this book takes on some very tough issues from the perspective of a young male narrator, and does so very well in a way that feels realistic. It's not without caveats, but I found it hard to put this book down, if for the fact that Evan's voice pulled me into his respective thoughts and conflicts.
Evan's a 17-18 year old boy who has a hard time settling down in his life. His father moves them to so many places, making him have a hard time forming relationships and any kind of significant attachments. Particularly, this factor is mirrored in his sexual relationships with girls as well, until the day he's brutally beaten while in the showers.
His father moves them from North Carolina to Pearl Lake, Minnesota for the summer. Evan has to heal in more ways than one, from getting a therapist to navigating his relationships along with the people he meets, to wrestling his own internal demons and learning to define himself individually as well as sexually. This book has quite a few slower/quiet paced moments - but it vets the character's mentality and struggles very well. Evan has body issues, sex issues, insecurities about his being that I think resonate well for one his age. There's quite a bit of exploration on teen sexuality, drug use, among other things in this narrative that don't pull punches. While Evan isn't always the most likable character, the way he evolves over time and the way the narrative unravels his insecurities and pains really got to me. His relationship with Colette is defined from the beginning of the novel (he writes her unaddressed letters on the part of a therapeutic intervention), but his ultimate relationships with Blake, Layne, his father, uncle, among others color the novel very well.
I wouldn't call "Sex and Violence" a romance at all, but more of a grief/tough subject/coming of age story. There are times when it's very humorous (in a dark way - Evan has quite a few one-liners that made me chuckle through the narrative). Even as I mention it held my attention - I did notice the pacing was more sluggish in certain areas of the narrative than it should've been. It didn't prevent me from seeing how well thought out this narrative was in addressing the themes that it did, and from appreciating how Evan progresses from his PTSD to moving forward with his life and learning from his past and present terms. I'd certainly recommend it for its audience and beyond for what it brings to the table, especially in progressive conversations about its themes.
Overall score: 4/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
I rated this book as a 3.5 stars on my blog, but I can't do half stars here.
I heard about this book for the first time when I looked at the short list for YALSA’s Morris Awards. This is an award for the best début novel by a YA author, and one of my favorite awards. I like to read the short list books each year, preferably before the winner is announced. So, this was the first one that I read this year. I hadn’t heard of it before, so all my preconceived notions came from past experiences with Morris Award titles and the title.
My preconceptions: Often, Morris Award titles tend towards serious topics. I have read books on the Holocaust, depression, death. I have read a book or two that took me awhile to get over before I could pick up another book. The title: Sex & Violence, made me think that there would be graphic scenes in this book, potential triggers, and other unpleasant things.
The reality: This book dealt with a horrific event without becoming too graphic. It dealt with the aftermath, more than the event itself. The few details that are shared are done quickly, without too much detail. Evan, our main character and narrator, is a bit of a dirt-bag. His mother died when he was younger, his father is distant, and Evan spends much of his youth moving around the country, enrolled in a variety of boarding schools. Because he is never in one place for long, he doesn't think about how his actions have lasting consequences. He has a certain type of girl he prefers, the ones who say yes. Then he moves on, to another school and another group of girls... (Read the full review at http://tichwi.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/review-sex-violence/).
I heard about this book for the first time when I looked at the short list for YALSA’s Morris Awards. This is an award for the best début novel by a YA author, and one of my favorite awards. I like to read the short list books each year, preferably before the winner is announced. So, this was the first one that I read this year. I hadn’t heard of it before, so all my preconceived notions came from past experiences with Morris Award titles and the title.
My preconceptions: Often, Morris Award titles tend towards serious topics. I have read books on the Holocaust, depression, death. I have read a book or two that took me awhile to get over before I could pick up another book. The title: Sex & Violence, made me think that there would be graphic scenes in this book, potential triggers, and other unpleasant things.
The reality: This book dealt with a horrific event without becoming too graphic. It dealt with the aftermath, more than the event itself. The few details that are shared are done quickly, without too much detail. Evan, our main character and narrator, is a bit of a dirt-bag. His mother died when he was younger, his father is distant, and Evan spends much of his youth moving around the country, enrolled in a variety of boarding schools. Because he is never in one place for long, he doesn't think about how his actions have lasting consequences. He has a certain type of girl he prefers, the ones who say yes. Then he moves on, to another school and another group of girls... (Read the full review at http://tichwi.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/review-sex-violence/).
What did I just read?! This book was so heavy handed. That ALL teens do is think about and engage in wild sex. Like they have not one other thought ever. I get that hormones are raging and those thoughts are prevalent, this book was just kind of unbelievable. I'm still kind of confused what happened to Collette in the first place!
I read this book for a library book club (21&up). When I finished the book, I felt good about having read it. I was expecting something different based on the summary of the book. I was expecting a sexual assault which would be an interesting topic given that male sexual assault is not something often talked about in our current society, especial when the assailant is female. However, this book took a different route. Like I said I felt good having read it, but I had a few reservations that I didn't yet know how to express except the fact that I didn't like Baker very much. She wasn't a very well developed character and she wasn't presented well. She expresses certain opinions at the beginning of the book, but then completely disregards them later on when she decides they don't suit her needs. She is very self centered and is only there to push the story along. It wasn't until we discussed it that it was pointed out that there were all over, too many characters. Most of them weren't even developed well either. I expected to see more from certain characters, but it was like everyone was just there to fill space and kill time. I still liked the all over feel of the book, and I was very impressed that a female author wrote a male character that kept my attention. So over all, the book wasn't bad, but I would have liked to see more from it.
Absolutely fantastic. There are many things I loved. Mesrobian's writing is near perfection.
Here's what I thought about while reading:
This: http://youtu.be/z9lrVZdaluk
This @ 2:20: http://youtu.be/sng_CdAAw8M
I loved that Evan and Baker didn't get together. That situation felt very real to me.
I loved that Evan found a kindred spirit in Jordan. Their on again, off again at the end also felt real.
I loved that Evan couldn't shower for forever.
I loved Story Island.
I loved the strong female characters in this book.
Here's what I thought about while reading:
This: http://youtu.be/z9lrVZdaluk
This @ 2:20: http://youtu.be/sng_CdAAw8M
I loved that Evan found a kindred spirit in Jordan. Their on again, off again at the end also felt real.
I loved that Evan couldn't shower for forever.
I loved Story Island.
I loved the strong female characters in this book.
Kinda like 3.5 ish but my liking towards the book wavered a lot. Like it was really meh at times and other times it was just like okay I lowkey like this section. But it went back to meh or like why is this even in the story. I liked the concept.
Evan's narrative voice is the strength of this confronting exploration of sex and violence.
Longer review to follow. Not out till October.
Longer review to follow. Not out till October.
Interesting book. I was hesitate to read this one because of the title but it turned out to be a very good book. Can't help feel like the main characters a bit of an idiot though at times, but what happens to him is horrific and the story is mostly about how he recovers. Its a good read.