Book Review: #Static

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Published on August 28, 2016 5:12:59 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85n3ThEL5uk

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Book Review for #Static by Eric Laster
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FINALLY finished reading this book. It took me a little time to get TO reading it because i had to finish a couple other books first. Then took a second to FINISH the book because promotions in the food service industry usually come with 80 hour work weeks attached to them for the first little while.

BUT I'M DONE! :) Don't let the time it took me to finish taint your perception of the quality of this book. It was good. It was some of the more enjoyable YA fiction I have read in a while, and it wasn't even science fiction. Generally the only YA I tend to like is science fiction so that should tell you something right there. Easily the best piece of YA fiction I have read in bout 10 years (i know in the vid I say 5, but I thought a little more about it and 10 is more appropriate.)

Thing I felt were well executed in this book:
1) Language - The language is fantastic. Not what you necessarily think of when someone tells you the book is geared for teenagers. But in such a good way. Curtis, the protagonist, uses words in such a unique way it makes you wish your own lexicon was that much more vibrant. Pseudo-siblings and Hate-crimers were a couple of my favorites.

2) Description - With out spoon feeding you, Laster makes the world of his book known to the reader. It is very easy to picture what is going on in each scene. And there is no time wasted where there doesn't need to be.

3) The twist - Being that this is a murder mystery written for teenagers, you might think the end is visible from a mile away. Not necessarily the case. There are points where, in hindsight, I can see I maybe could have figured out the killer sooner, but you are always left to second guess yourself until the author wants you to know.

4) The Aftermart - I also very much fell in love with the unique take on death and after-life. It seems that Laster could write this story again from the perspective of Wilt, the older brother, and have equal, if not more, success that he has had here.

Things that I felt took me out of the story a bit:
1) Language - While I did fall in love with the language, there are times when it seemed that perhaps the color was the driving factor more than its utilitarianism. And it seems that, even though they should, I don't think kids actually talk like this. (though it is FICTION I do understand that, and fictionalized people can do whatever they want. FICTION also is, in many ways, idealized reality, so I really don't fault Laster for this too much.)

2) Age appropriate-ness - Again, being that this is YA Fiction, you have a certain expectation content wise. There is a pretty graphic sex scene in this book (well written, and in a book not intended for teenagers would have seemed much less out of place) that seems to stick out like a sore thumb. Also, some sexual bits afterward that don't seem to have much motivating them beyond, maybe, a little shock value. YA, at least to me, seems to imply early to mid-teens. The inclusion of the sex in this book ups that to more of a late-teens early twenties age group it seems. Not a BAD thing, just unexpected and a bit jolting as you come across it.

Over all this book was a very fun and entertaining read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone over the age of 16 who is looking for a unique take on a tired genre.