A review by goodcook07
Into the River by Ted Dawe

2.0

I didn't know that this book had been banned until I looked at the other reviews here. I read nothing in it that would make me gasp. Certainly there is as much or more sex in many other young adult books. I would, however, say it's more appropriate for the 14+ crowd. With that being said, I didn't really find anything redeeming enough in it to recommend it to my daughter or her friends to read. There are plenty of other books with better characters and better messages. I mean, we only have just so much time to read in our lifetime, right? I would not waste precious reading minutes on this book. For one thing, there's the inconsistency with the time frame and the setting. It is distracting to constantly wonder when the story is taking place. But the most disappointing thing I found was the lack of character in Te Arepe/Devon. When he encountered the eel and found his "destiny", I thought that he was going to be a strong character/role model/something!!! Instead, he is weak and spineless. He does not stand up for himself or his culture. The very fact that he changed his name at school disturbed me. He started out being a smart country boy and he ended up being a spineless nothing. That alone is the reason I would not waste my time reading it.