Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.
Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.
Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.
And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.
Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.
Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.
And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.
When I saw this book listed on NetGalley as a hilarious and profane debut, I figured it was worth a shot. While I assumed something listed as "profane" probably wouldn't be appropriate for a class library (correct assumption :), I also assumed it would give me a few chuckles (also a correct assumption :). Though this is a book I will be very careful in recommending to students, it is certainly a worthy read for those not easily offended.
Greg, the narrator and protagonist of the novel, makes this story shine. His voice is sarcastic, hilarious, and self-loathing in a funny (though heartbreaking) way. From the outset of the novel, he promises to be completely honest with the reader - in fact, he often steps outside of the story and communicates directly with the audience. I loved these moments, as it was a unique twist on the whole "author, narrator, reader" relationship. However, my favorite part of Greg is that even though he swears he isn't going to change for the better by the end of the story, and no major life lessons will be learned, he does and there are. But, he seemed authentic for not realizing how much he grows throughout the novel. The other two main characters, Earl and the "Dying Girl" (Rachel), are not given the same amount of detail as Greg. Of the two, I felt Earl was better created, as we do get some more backstory into his life. Rachel was a character who was supposed to be a catalyst for most of the plot, but somewhat fell flat in my opinion. More development into her character would have enhanced the novel as a whole.
Though the novel was primarily character driven, the plot had enough action to be engaging on its own as well. Much of the story centers around Greg's attempts at understanding mortality, and his burgeoning film "career." Without a doubt, my favorite scenes were the descriptions of he and Earl's films and their movie-making sessions. These were some of the funniest moments in the story. I also really enjoyed Greg's descriptions of high school life - they were eerily accurate.
Obviously, there are some very serious content concerns for a teacher recommending this novel. There is EXTREME foul language, plenty of sex references (some of them pretty inappropriate, albeit creative and funny), drug use... the list goes on. While there is ultimately a positive at the end of the novel, it's not exactly one where the message trumps a few concerns. There's just too much inappropriate content for a teacher to recommend. However, as an adult writing a blog that primarily adults read... it might be worth a look!
Greg, the narrator and protagonist of the novel, makes this story shine. His voice is sarcastic, hilarious, and self-loathing in a funny (though heartbreaking) way. From the outset of the novel, he promises to be completely honest with the reader - in fact, he often steps outside of the story and communicates directly with the audience. I loved these moments, as it was a unique twist on the whole "author, narrator, reader" relationship. However, my favorite part of Greg is that even though he swears he isn't going to change for the better by the end of the story, and no major life lessons will be learned, he does and there are. But, he seemed authentic for not realizing how much he grows throughout the novel. The other two main characters, Earl and the "Dying Girl" (Rachel), are not given the same amount of detail as Greg. Of the two, I felt Earl was better created, as we do get some more backstory into his life. Rachel was a character who was supposed to be a catalyst for most of the plot, but somewhat fell flat in my opinion. More development into her character would have enhanced the novel as a whole.
Though the novel was primarily character driven, the plot had enough action to be engaging on its own as well. Much of the story centers around Greg's attempts at understanding mortality, and his burgeoning film "career." Without a doubt, my favorite scenes were the descriptions of he and Earl's films and their movie-making sessions. These were some of the funniest moments in the story. I also really enjoyed Greg's descriptions of high school life - they were eerily accurate.
Obviously, there are some very serious content concerns for a teacher recommending this novel. There is EXTREME foul language, plenty of sex references (some of them pretty inappropriate, albeit creative and funny), drug use... the list goes on. While there is ultimately a positive at the end of the novel, it's not exactly one where the message trumps a few concerns. There's just too much inappropriate content for a teacher to recommend. However, as an adult writing a blog that primarily adults read... it might be worth a look!
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