註釋
I was going back between 2 and 3 stars all night. Am I really going to give a book written partially by John Green, my secret man crush, 2 stars? But alas, I think it needed to happen. Will Grayson x2 missed the mark for me in many ways. Let's discuss together.
Will Grayson x2 (I'm not gonna write it twice every time, just work with me) is about two kids named...you know... and although they have never met, their paths cross and ultimately have their lives changed. The book alternates each character's POV, one being written by John Green and the other by David Levithan. Spoooooiler Alert!
I think one of my biggest disappointments, which might be my own fault for having unrealistic expectations, is that I expected a much more dramatic change in the lives of these two teens. After they meet, Levithan's Will certainly has a change, simply because he meets Tiny. But for the other Will, I felt I was left scratching my head on how he was really affected. I know things got rough with Tiny, but I feel that was going to happen with Tiny's play happening anyway.
John Green's Will Grayson, which I will simply call Will for this review, is classic Green. He is nerdy and hilarious, giving me several moments of actual out-loud laughter. And also like classic Green, he falls for the first female character introduced, despite the fact they do not share any notion of chemistry or attraction. What made Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns so great was the mystery behind it all. The deep psychological and emotional questions needed to be answered. Will and Jane's romance just felt....dull. The whole dead cat in the box thing was a nice try, but in the end their romance just felt set up and obvious.
Levithan's Will Grayson, which we'll call Grayson, is a very different beast than Will. This is the second book I've read by Levithan, the other being Nick and Norah. Both these left me with this uneasy feeling in my stomach and it took me awhile to figure it out, but I think I got it. Levithan is a great YA author because his characters are brutally authentic, which is very impressive. When you read his words, there is never a second where you would debate whether a moody teen wrote this. But that authenticity is a double-edged sword, especially when you are not a moody teenage reader. I hated Grayson the first few chapters just because he was such a asshole teenager. I totally remember being like that! I don't want to relive it. While Green expresses those frustrating teen times under the shroud of humor, Leviathan is just too hardcore for me. It's all bitching all the time. Grayson lightens up after awhile, but he just left a bad taste in my mouth.
If I had to sum it up, reading Levithan (for me personally!!) is like reading a vivid depiction of a car wreck that's so well done it makes you imagine what it would be like to be in one. It's downright impressive, but why would you want to relive that?
Aside from my beefs with the characters, they are both ultimately decent enough and would have earned this book more than two stars. The big problem I had with this book can be narrowed down to one word: Tiny. Oh Tiny, Tiny, Tiny. You destroyed this book for me.
While the book is titled Will Grayson x2, it should have been "Let's All Have A Lovefest for Tiny." He is the central character in the book and, for the life of me, I cannot understand why everybody loves this guy. He is completely self-centered and egotistical, time and time again putting his needs instead of Will's, and Will just takes it, gets pissed off about it for a bit, but then just goes crawling back and loves it. Tiny's romance with Grayson just didn't make sense as well. Would an overly outgoing theater performer fall for a dark moody goth kid in one night?
Tiny's environment, especially for a book that was so full of realistic teen drama, seemed like a fairy tale. When Grayson comes out of the closet and announces he's gay, he is met with the few typical close minded reactions where people stare at him in the hallways, leave him nasty notes in his locker, etc. It's a shame, but I'm sure that is really what gay teens have to go through when coming out. Tiny somehow is able to transcend this level of homophobia, prances through the hallways singing and dancing, and even goes as far as to putting on an entire play about his own lifestyle(I know he said the play is about love, but its not. Sorry) and the entire school loves him for it? How did that happen? Where is this high school full of tolerance?
The ending was especially disappointing where our two Will Graysons and everybody named remotely something similar meet up at the Tiny crossroads, only to feel the need to loudly proclaim that they "appreciate you, Tiny Cooper!" as the entire crowd sobs in an overly emotional manner having their minds exploded over the masterpiece that his play, "Tiny Dancer," is. Really? Watching 3 hours of a gay teen circumvent any backlash for his sexuality and ponder why he is such a man-whore who dated 18 boys in a few years was that impressive?
I think this is a book that will certainly be enjoyed by actual teens rather than adults who are fans of the YA genre, for the most part. The copy I have is an advanced reader's edition, so it isn't actually out yet. I'm very curious to see how well this book sells since alot of it is centered around...gayness, not that there is anything wrong with that. But as a teacher who has worked in high schools and middle schools, its a sad fact that I see alot of kids still think being gay is something weird and synonymous with lame. On top of that, so many are reluctant readers that struggle just to sit and read, regardless of how interesting the book is. I can't imagine trying to convince my kids to read a book about one kid with a gay best friend and another pursuing a gay relationship and getting a warm reception. Hopefully I'm wrong and this book isn't hampered by that, but its just food for thought.
