I read some good reviews of the book, but it wasn't for me. Felt like the story really dragged out and wasn't in depth enough.
John Wray's third novel Lowboy is itself like a subway ride, full of jolts and turns in an other-world. Will Heller is a beautiful sixteen-year-old boy, wandering around New York City, above and below ground. He happens to be a paranoid schizophrenic two weeks off his meds and thinks he can save the world from climate change. His mother Yda (aka Violet) and missing persons detective Ali Lateef are on his trail. As the narrative alternates between them, there is both a very surreal and matter-of-fact quality to the story unfolding on an otherwise ordinary November day. There are spaces where the action and words speed up, and others where things slow down, but there's always an aura of unpredictability. Wray has a way with words that portrays Will's psyche as just slightly out of reach, and has created a sympathetic character we can relate to—a modern-day psychotic Holden Caulfield.
This novel is absolutely incredible! Never have I felt so much emotion and turmoil while reading a book. Not to mention the surprise twist at the end ;0 I couldn't put this down (at least voluntarily anyway) and have shared it with a friend already....I know there's a wait for this one, so hopefully I'll get it back soon and pass it on to one of you lucky readers!
The novel is somewhat disturbing, if nothing else, for it's touchy subject matter (a 16 year old paranoid schizophrenic). However, the novel intertwines all the characters incredibly well and does not leave you disappointed! I'm sure you'll be glad for reading it!
The novel is somewhat disturbing, if nothing else, for it's touchy subject matter (a 16 year old paranoid schizophrenic). However, the novel intertwines all the characters incredibly well and does not leave you disappointed! I'm sure you'll be glad for reading it!
