2 out of 4 stars
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Initially, the book feels like a mix between The Catcher in the Rye and A Child Called It. A Bloody Book is written in 1st person from the perspective of a detached, we assume abused, smart-but-not-willing-to-show-it, teenage boy. The boy, Maxx, is part of a reading class for the “stupid kids” in his school. One day, they get a new teacher who attempts to make the children realize the path they’re on is only detrimental to their future in hopes to rekindle the fire of trying in school. Through this lens we learn the story of what exactly made Maxx stop caring in his life.
The beginning of the book is a little bumpy. It starts with a preface from the author requesting the audience to essentially read the entire book. This feels a little unnecessary. Isn’t that what every author wants from their audience? I don’t think this adds anything to the book, rather it’d work as a decent blurb on the back cover of the book.
This middle of the book is great. The story is interesting, even if it feels a little disconnected at times. The plot is enticing and the main character is written in a way for audiences to feel connected to him. But, the beginning and end of the book need polishing. The surprise twist is too jolting and done too fast to work effectively. I’m left feeling disappointed after it. Unattended loose ends leave me questioning a lot (how old exactly is Maxx at the end? They’re mentioned to be living with an uncle at the beginning of the story and that doesn’t quite match up with the end so what’s the full story there? Why bring up the possibilities in the classroom if we don’t get any payoff from them?). The loose ends that are tied up appear haphazardly done so in an effort to wrap the story up too quickly. I feel cheated at the end. And the mention of reading more books seems thrown in in a way that makes little to no sense.
I give this book a 2 out of 4. I feel as if I’m being too hard on a book that I enjoyed, but that’s only because, in my opinion, it has great potential! I could read another hundred pages on what happens after and, overall, I think expanding the ending would ultimately make the book stronger. There’s no payoff for the audience for the investment into Maxx’s character. For how much is discussed about Mr. Foxx and how much time is spent talking about what happened in the classroom, readers are given no closure on it whatsoever. There’s no discussion on whether the methods worked or not; whether it changed the students. Rather, at the end, it feels like one giant background simply to offer the readers an explanation as to why the story is being written. I wish that had been elaborated on more.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. Yet, I cannot say I would recommend it to people due to my own unsatisfactory feelings on the ending. But, I do feel that it has immense potential and, if the beginning was reworked and the end was fleshed out I could see myself recommending the book then.
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A Bloody Book
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