This one was not a result of a recommendation — I think I saw it on someone’s Top Ten Tuesday and added it to my TBR because I enjoyed Mosquitoland. Mostly, my experience has been through audiobook, though I do have a hard copy from the library.
Five friends’ journey: scatter dad’s ashes.
Consider this: billions of people in the world, each with billions of I ams. I am a quiet observer, a champion wallflower. I am a lover of art, the Mets, the memory of Dad. I represent approximately on seven-billionth of the population; these are my momentous multitudes, and that’s just for starters.
Vic nodded at everyone, and when it became apparent he was going to wait for us to speak first, Baz dove in. “I apologize for rushing this, but I’m late for work already. Normally, I’d like to hear more about your situation, your goals, but all that will have to wait. I have two questions for you, and the only wrong answer is a lie.
A few thoughts
From the beginning, I wonder about Vic’s sense of himself. He could be one of those characters who is good at keeping things in perspective, or he could be one of those characters who is struggling with insignificance. He’s also very aware of the fact that people are complex, so I expect that to play into his characterization.
I’m most of the way through this, at this point. I remember being a little concerned at Baz’s question to Vic on pg. 56. Something about the framing of the question made me wonder about Baz and whether or not he was a creeper.
The reviews I read before I started suggested that both Vic and Mad are fully realized characters, while the characterization of the other members of the KOA fell a little flat. At this point (I’m on pg. 199), I feel like I know a lot more about Vic than I do about Mad. Also, I can understand why the other characters might feel a little flat, filtered through the points of view of teenagers.
I’m going to bookend my post with a comment about the audiobook. It does something interesting that makes me wonder about directorial choices. The chapter titles are read by someone who has an accent from an African nation (I’m not savvy enough to tell the difference between the accents), and then there are also separate narrators for Vic and Mad. I’m wondering about why the director would make the choice to have the chapter titles read by someone else. I’m sure it’s supposed to represent Baz, who is from Democratic Republic of Congo, but I’ve not yet figured out the connection. I’m hopeful that it will come clear by the end.
the (book) supplier 