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A review by zefrog
Good Boys: A Novel by Paul Reidinger
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Having read two other books by Paul Reidinger, I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, even though it grew on me eventually, I was disappointed by this particular effort.
The beginning was confusing (it turns out that Chris, one of the three main characters, is having a "conversation" with his dead lover, which is not made clear at all until, well, the end of the book), and the flitting timeline of the whole plot is just as baffling. There is little sense of place and even less of time in a story that rather floats, untethered, and not easily reachable.
Considering its themes, such as how decisions made in the past shape people's lives, a simple linear narrative would have been preferable to this jumpy, unclear jumble of achronological and undated scenes. The reader gets quickly lost in the thickets of a story that covers ten years of the lives of three college friends (and their partners), who appear to be going through a mid-life crisis in their 30s.
This makes it difficult to remember who is who; an effect re-enforced by Reidinger's failure to provide background stories to most of his characters (we never even get one for the main protagonists). This, particularly at the beginning, not only makes the plot difficult to follow but is alienating and prevents identification with the characters.
After about a third of the book, things settle down a little and familiarity slowly allows the reader to start enjoying Reidinger's undeniable powers as a thoughtful and engaging writer. He uses his narrative to tackle masculinity, the separation, or lack thereof, between sex and feelings, how our decisions and how we see ourselves shape our lives, and the importance of communication within relationships of any kind. His main preoccupation, however, is, I think, the ultimate and essential loneliness at the heart of the human condition. <SPOILER>This would explain why we are ultimately not given the satisfaction of a romantic happy ending between Drew and Chris, even though the possibility of it is hinted at ever more strongly as the book progresses. </SPOILER>
Once I managed to get into it, I enjoyed the book, the characters of which are believable, if not all likable, but the confused timeline really marred the experience for me. This is possibly one for die-hard Reidinger fans only.
The beginning was confusing (it turns out that Chris, one of the three main characters, is having a "conversation" with his dead lover, which is not made clear at all until, well, the end of the book), and the flitting timeline of the whole plot is just as baffling. There is little sense of place and even less of time in a story that rather floats, untethered, and not easily reachable.
Considering its themes, such as how decisions made in the past shape people's lives, a simple linear narrative would have been preferable to this jumpy, unclear jumble of achronological and undated scenes. The reader gets quickly lost in the thickets of a story that covers ten years of the lives of three college friends (and their partners), who appear to be going through a mid-life crisis in their 30s.
This makes it difficult to remember who is who; an effect re-enforced by Reidinger's failure to provide background stories to most of his characters (we never even get one for the main protagonists). This, particularly at the beginning, not only makes the plot difficult to follow but is alienating and prevents identification with the characters.
After about a third of the book, things settle down a little and familiarity slowly allows the reader to start enjoying Reidinger's undeniable powers as a thoughtful and engaging writer. He uses his narrative to tackle masculinity, the separation, or lack thereof, between sex and feelings, how our decisions and how we see ourselves shape our lives, and the importance of communication within relationships of any kind. His main preoccupation, however, is, I think, the ultimate and essential loneliness at the heart of the human condition. <SPOILER>This would explain why we are ultimately not given the satisfaction of a romantic happy ending between Drew and Chris, even though the possibility of it is hinted at ever more strongly as the book progresses. </SPOILER>
Once I managed to get into it, I enjoyed the book, the characters of which are believable, if not all likable, but the confused timeline really marred the experience for me. This is possibly one for die-hard Reidinger fans only.