A review by amandsley
You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin

3.0

Like a lot of other readers of this book, much of the comedic elements and references were so obscure that the cumbersome glossary was necessary to understand the plot of the novel. I felt that the mystery was well thought out and exciting yet I struggled to get past the jargon and references that I didn't understand. I guess the teenage "slang" was meant to be part of the charm of the book but for me, it interfered with the plot and made it more difficult to understand.
However, this was definitely a unique book - partly because I had no idea that it was meant to be dystopia. I didn't understand how any high school or city could be run by a bunch of corrupt teenagers. But once I understood that it wasn't supposed to be completely realistic, I could focus on the plot more.
I did enjoy the complexity of Dalton's character. He is vulnerable and scared, and not afraid to admit his faults to himself. Each character was thoroughly involved in the mystery of the story, making it worthwhile to understand and read about them.
Overall, this was a intriguing book with many surprising twists that got bogged down by the technobabble.