Review of Randy the Irresistible

[Effie Cherotich]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Randy the Irresistible" by S M Goodier.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Life in university forms a pivotal period in many lives. This is the time when careers are moulded, romantic relationships are formed, friendships are made and independence begins. Basically, the foundation of life.

Randy the Irresistible by S M Goodier follows the life of Randy as he navigates through this time in life. Randy is the lastborn child of John and Marjorie Love. Unlike their first two children, Randy’s pregnancy was unexpected and difficult. It also happened when they were nearing their 50s. After studying for three of the four years at the University of Brighton, Randy decided to take a gap year. This gap year was prolonged for more than a year. During this time, he worked numerous jobs ranging from flipping burgers to being a counter clerk and eventually being a financial advisor. Besides changing jobs, his naughty encounters with landlords and regular changing of apartments were major highlights of his life.

My favourite aspect of the book was the character of Michael. I loved the provocative conversations that he initiated with Randy. He also brought humour and an interesting perspective on matters such as the value of a university degree. Despite his tendency to mock Randy, I loved that he equally portrayed his immense wisdom at the same time.

I felt that the flow of the story plateaued throughout the book. The ending was equally underwhelming. There was no climax. It felt like the story was a constant cycle of Randy’s troubles involving work, relationships and changing apartments. Amidst these troubles, there was nothing incredibly surprising, exciting nor captivating. In the later chapters, Randy’s behaviour became predictable. Personally, I grew to be disgusted by his behaviour and irritated by his tendencies.

The book was particularly focused on the period when Randy had taken his gap year. Even though the author touched on his interrelationships, I was left thirsting for more when it came to his relationship with his family. How did he really grow up after the great tragedy in their household? How did that tragedy affect Randy? How did the great age gap between him and his siblings affect their relationships? It felt pretty unrealistic to leave such crucial questions unanswered. All these contributed to the elements that I disliked about the book.

This book deserves a rating of 3 out of 4 stars because the cons outweigh its pros. The book had no grammatical errors. I would recommend it to readers who would love an adventurous story of the wild life of early adulthood.

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Randy the Irresistible
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