Wednesday, November 25, 2009

D.C. Pierson, The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep (and Never Had To)

Great Premise, Iffy Execution
Fantastic title? Check. Great cover art? Check. Interesting narrator? Check.

This should be a five-star enterprise, right? And it is interesting and engaging and evocative of what it feels like to be a kid in high school--right up until the big reveal (spoiled by the title, but a secret for almost half the book). Before that happens, the little framing narrative at the beginning seems like a cryptic curiosity; afterward the expectation that somehow the other half of the frame will provide some closure grows and grows as things take several madcap turns. These madcap turns, and the second half of the frame's failure to provide closure, make it impossible for me to give this book more than three stars. Too bad--the materials were definitely there for something better. I'd definitely give Pierson another shot--I just hope he can sustain the same level of quality for the whole book next time.

This is an Amazon Vine review, available here.

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