Synopsis:
3 out of 5 stars
*I received this book from Blogging for Books━a venture of Penguin Random House━ in exchange for an honest review.
I went to reading this book thinking, "Wow, this is one going to be really deep and thought-provoking", and I really wanted to believe that after finishing it, because I needed to read a book whose ideas were food for thought, but I just didn't think there was much critical thinking required. I don't mean to imply that I didn't enjoy the book, I did, in fact, enjoy it. It's just that what I expected to read and what I actually read are two different things.
I have two critiques to make regarding the main character, Isidore. The first sentence of the book's summary on Goodreads describes the work of fiction as a "An absorbing, darkly comedic novel that brilliantly evokes the confusions of adolescence and marks the arrival of an extraordinary young talent", and as I sit writing this review, I think that surely the typical adolescent can't be as oblivious and "confused" as Dory. I can confidently say that, at his age, I was sharper than he is. And what's interesting is that the author makes him out to be this over-aware and thoughtful child, who sees things that others cannot, when he's really not very perceptive. Secondly, despite being the main character, we don't get to know much about Dory other than the frequent assessments made by his family members, particularly his mother and sister Simone, who mostly list positive aspects of his personality. All in all, it was an okay book. I would recommend it to someone who wants to read something different with an eleven-year old's unprecedented views.
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