So maybe my Super Summer is not coming to a realization. I was going strong, downing books like milk at a buffalo wing festival, when it all halted. After some time giving it thought, I think my stoppage boils down to reading books even if they bored me. I tied to convince myself that finishing a book that I didn't like was almost as important or as important as reading ones I do enjoy. I may have been right, but it is draining to spend my leisure time reading mindless dredge, when I could be on the internet doing the same thing with no attachment.
This is my valiant return, and though I won't finish 25 books by the end of this summer, I will not simply quit. This summer was supposed to be dedicated to reading, and I will make chase.
I came into this book expecting a change from the common story of a bullied dork, misunderstood by society. What I got instead, was the prime example of what that dilemma should have been about all along. King Dork wound mysteries and hope, but let the real world torment these ideas until this felt like reality. What got me was the all of the mysteries lying in plain sight, and the obvious ones which never got full resolutions. True to life. Every character had premeditated layers of history that keep getting peeled back. Portman has created a living breathing world rich in detail and history.
The one problem I faced was most of the background of this book was formed through narration. Tom/Chi-mo told us about how much of a nerd he was, but never in the course of the story did he display this. It was as if all of the character development happened between the backstory and the start of the story. That method in general of the main character informing the reader tends to fill the characters out before we even get to meet them in a real sequence. A book should not have all of the characters' reputations proceed them because we only get to glimpse them through the eyes of the narrator. I think the main character should draw conclusions about other characters from their actions during the course of the story.
I am glad to say, this one will go on the shelf, along with the rest of the best days of my summer.
