Feeling alienated from everyone around her, Los Angeles high school senior and cinephile Victoria Jurgen hides behind the identity of a favorite movie character until an interesting new boy arrives at school and helps her realize that there is more to life than just the movies.
Just a quick review, I'm trying to coax myself into finishing a rather awful book.
I was in the library a few days ago, listening to music. While I was in there, I didn't intend to find another novel to read, but I seem to have book-magnets in my hands and I soon enough lay my fingers on this one. It's not science-fiction, for a change! But it does speak of sci-fi.
Victoria, a.k.a Egg, the name of her favorite heroine from a science-fiction movie, is a geek, a nerd, and a loner. I also fit into those three adjectives, so I can relate to her, to what she lives, to her thoughts. There are many references to different science-fiction books, most of which I have heard of or read. Though she makes herself completely unlikable, I think she was attaching nonetheless. She evolves very nicely throughout the story. I love it when characters are changed by events, and grow up.
The plot itself wasn't really remarkable. In fact, it was common, at best. It's the story of the coming of age of a teenage geeky outcast who has made herself untouchable. I've quite often read things like this, but none had the same depth of character that Victoria/Egg, or Max, or Nelly, or Rue had. That is what makes this novel great.
Finally, the voice used was perfectly adapted to what was being told. It felt so... natural, like Victoria/Egg herself was talking to me like this. She made me chuckle at times, made me cry when things got tough. It was excellent, really.
I really did like this book. I'm just not sure it'll appeal to everyone, since there are many geeky references. There aren't too many, though, so it should be okay even if you aren't that much into science-fiction.
-Aithen
Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci
Rating: 7.9/10
I've really been wanting to read his book and haven't read many reviews on it. Great characters really can drive a novel. I'll be looking forward to this one even more now. Thanks for the review. :D
ReplyDelete~Briana
I love science fiction, and if there are good characters it's even more appealing. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteCecil Castellucci makes my day every time I read something by her!
ReplyDeleteI first read "Beige" which was also full of "geeky references" to punk music, (which I LOVE), and had great characterization. "The Queen of Cool" I could relate to less, but attached that protagonist to my little sister and the lifestyle she leads.
They were both interesting reads, perhaps made moreso by the fact that Cecil is just so darn cool in real life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Castellucci).
Her Montreal connection makes me happy, especially at the thought of getting her in to do a workshop or something. (One of the librarians here was in university with her at Concordia and used to hang out with her -- hook-up can be a gal's best friend at times).
I definitely look forward to reading this one as well, but haven`t seen it on the shelves unfortunately, (unfortunate for me, fortunate for whomever keeps borrowing it).
Finally picked it up. Read it in a about three hours. Castelucci has a formula in all her books. But it works.
ReplyDeleteI like how the Hollywood glam was portrayed realistically, (as in it's not really that glamourous). And of course the my favourite thing about her endings are that they are not endings. Things are not generally all neatly wrapped up in a package. They end with new beginnings.
Hopeful. I like that sometimes.
Good pick.