So Many Books... - June 11th, 2009

08:39 pm - 120 Hour Challenge - Day 4

Not from the backlog of books read and still unreviewed, as I just finished this last night, so I'm kind of departing from my own challenge rules. It's an older book and has got a lot of praise (along with a bit of criticism) so it may be totally uninteresting book-talking for most, but I loved it and am going to do it anyway.

The book starts with Troy, the self-described 'fat kid' of the title, saved from jumping in front of a train by Curt, a 'skinny punk guitar genius' - who's mostly homeless and definitely messed up. Curt claims that Troy owes him lunch, and in the diner calls him 'Big T' - the nickname being almost enough in itself to win Troy over completely. Still, he's horrified when Curt plans to start a punk band with Troy as his drummer, because Troy - stretching the truth a bit - says 'his instrument' is drums. Not only does Troy have no friends, but his home life is awful too - his ex-Marine dad is rigidly authoritarian and can't understand how Troy hasn't managed to 'take charge of his life' and his skinny, athletic younger brother makes it clear at every opportunity he gets how much he despises Troy as a pathetic loser. All this is given in often very funny first-person narrative, rather than as the dirge it could easily be.

Okay, I won't be spoiling spoiling, but I will tell about the mood of the ending, because I have to to say anything about the fat-friendliness (or otherwise) of the book. Clearly there are three ways it could end: 1) tragic; 2) good for Troy after he learns from Curt's meeting a tragic end; or 3) with Troy and Curt helping each other. Also, vitally, any happiness for Troy could happen a) with weight loss or b) without weight loss. If you don't want to know which of those happens, don't read behind the cut.( No more spoilers than that. )