Systematic Student:
detective

This review is posted as part of Once Upon a Bookcase's Body Image and Self-Perception Month.

Have you ever found yourself rooting for the bad guy? Knowing that the character deserves every bad thing coming his way, but hoping that, somehow, things will work out better in the end? I don't know that I had ever truly experienced that before reading Tenderness by Robert Cormier. I generally prefer (ahem-totally love) reading books where the bad guy totally gets his comeuppance. I'm all about hard-core justice for my villains. Mercy?! *Scoff,* What's that. Don't you know what he's done?!

Reading this book changed that. This is the first time (or at least the only time that comes immediately to mind) where I have truly felt bad for our bad guy. Other times when the bad guy is pitiable or shown mercy, it is because they aren't really all that bad, merely misunderstood. Eric Poole may be misunderstood. That's a distinct possibility. But, there is no denying the fact that he is bad. He's a sociopath. When we meet Eric, he's been in a Juvenile Facility for the last three years for the cold-blooded murder of his mother and step-father. Or course, it was justified because of the 'severe abuse' Eric has been living with, so the state tries him as a juvenile instead of an adult, which means he will be released after he turns 18 and his record will be expunged. No one knows about the three young girls Eric murdered, or so he thinks.

If I had to sum up my thoughts/feelings/idea of this novel in one sentence, it would be revolve around the quote that begins this novel: "To know the pain of too much tenderness" — Kahlil Gibran. One generally equates tenderness with only positive things. It brings to mind images of gentleness, kindness and love. But, what about the idea of too much tenderness? Is that possible? Apparently. Lori and Eric are searching for that tender emotion. Almost every action is driven by this desire to experience tenderness. They are always seeking it, they look for and find it in all the wrong places and they never grasp it for long. It creates intense dysfunctions within each character.

Eric kills young girls to find it and Lori subjects herself to all manner of unwanted and unwelcome sexual advances to feel it. Their paths cross and Lori decides that Eric is the one who can give her what she seeks. She goes with him, knowing that he murdered his mother and step-father (but he was so abused!) and later discovers that the murmurs about Eric killing young girls is also true. But, Eric is tender with her. She loves him. She informs Eric that she will stand by him, ignoring his past and assisting him in the future if he will simply remain tender with her. And how can he refuse that, especially once he begins to care for her, as much as he is capable of caring for anyone.

If we only heard from Lori's perspective, it would be incredibly easy to hate Eric and despise him for the crazed cold-blooded killer he is. But, he isn't, is he? I still don't know. We also hear from Eric. While Eric never demonstrates any remorse for what he's done, he too merely desires a little tenderness in his life. Before his mother remarried, she and Eric had a very close relationship. The man she married and Eric do not get along at all. Eric despises him and he thinks Eric is rather in the way. Eric seeks compassion and tenderness from these girls and finds that the only way he truly feels able to experience it is upon their deaths. However evil that is, I can't hate him for it. He seems genuinely puzzled when the main detective on the case calls him a monster and surprisingly, I found myself agreeing.

By the end of the novel, he seems genuinely concerned for Lori's welfare. He takes care of her, makes her feel special and begins to show her what she has been searching for. And there is no doubt that by the end, he truly cares for her. Although abrupt and a bit jarring, the ending suited the story perfectly. It was tragic, but it was the only way to end the story and be true to each character. I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that I ended up heartbroken for each of our main characters. None of them really received their happy ending.

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time, and one that will influence my thoughts as well. I can't imagine someone with such a low image and perception of themselves that they would be willing to subject themselves to what Lori willingly puts herself through before and after meeting Eric. What would drive an attractive young woman to such lengths and who is to blame for not teaching this girl that she has value all on her own. This is a story that will both warm and break your heart and one that will linger in your thoughts long after you've turned the last page.

My mom gave me her old copies of the first two Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald J. Sobol when I was pretty young, around maybe 10 or so. I had Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective and Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch. Each book has 10 mysteries Encyclopedia Brown is supposed to solve. His name isn't really Encyclopedia, it's Leroy. But, no one called him Leroy except his mother and his teachers.

I don't know if any of you read any of the Encyclopedia Brown books, but I absolutely loved them. I read my two copies so often the covers fell off and the binding started falling apart. And then, I discovered that both the public library and my school library had more! I was so excited! I read mystery after mystery, always excited when Encyclopedia outwitted Bugs Meany again or helped his father, the Idaville Chief of Police, capture some bad guys. And I don't think I ever once solved the riddle before Encyclopedia. I always had to peek in the back of the book for the answers.

I pick up copies of these books in book orders, or when I find them in good condition in used book stores, because I had such fond memories reading these while growing up, I'd love to have them in my home. I've found new stories that I'm pretty sure I never read as a kid. And, I'll admit it — I still don't solve the mystery before Encyclopedia tells us the answer.

I loved the recurring characters in the stories — Tough Sally (the partner) who routinely beats up Bugs Meany (more or less, the nemesis), and Charlie with his collection of animal teeth. Encyclopedia Brown has a lot of friends, many of whom we meet as they hire Encyclopedia (for 25¢) to help them solve a mystery.

As I said before, I loved Encyclopedia Brown when I was a kid. I actually believe he was my first (and only) legitimate literary crush. I would so have loved to meet him, but alas... It never worked out, and I've decided I'm way to old for him now. So Encyclopedia, here's looking at you kid.

I'm ducking my head in shame as I say this but... I liked the movie more than the book. And the movie wasn't even all the great (although I did enjoy it). And they changed a lot. But, I know why I preferred the movie, and I'll include that in my review.

What story am I talking about you ask? The Invisible by Mats Wahl. I'll talk about the book first...

The story itself had a lot of potential. The book starts with Hilmer going to class. It doesn't take him long to realize that no one seems able to see him. Then, a police officer comes into the classroom to announce that Hilmer has disappeared, and anyone with information should come forward. Hilmer is confused and concerned. He decides to follow the officer to determine anything he can about what is going on. He panics as he realizes that he can't remember anything from the day he disappeared. After that, other than a few disjointed, awkward paragraphs, we are no longer listening to Hilmer, and are instead following the police officer, Detective Fors, and it's his thoughts we hear.

Once we switch narrators, the book loses whatever momentum and appeal it had. There is absolutely no sense of urgency to the story. Everything meanders calmly from one place to another. This tempo is fine in certain stories, and at times, it can actually enhance the reading experience. But no one wants to read a meandering story about a boy who has disappeared and it is assumed that someone made him disappear. Every interview was the same — You are looking for the boy? — Yes, do you know anything? — No, can't say that I do. — Let me know if you think of anything. — Ok. — (SHORT TIME LATER, same person) You knew about this--seriously important piece of information--before?! — Umm, Yes... — Why didn't you tell me?! — I didn't know if it was important, and I didn't want to bring it up... It could cause unnecessary trouble, ya know? Don't make a big deal about it... It could be nothing. Wouldn't want to cause concern now and make the tourists think we were a bad sort, ya know?

None of the townspeople seem to care about this missing boy. Other than Fors, none of the police officers seemed overly concerned about it either, which is shocking because they suspect that someone killed him. It took forever for them to get the dog out to track the scent, and they made a big deal about sending anyone else out there to help. It just seemed ridiculous and bla. No one wants to read how unconcerned a town is when a local boy shows up missing, especially when all the information they have makes it pretty clear that it is very unlikely he would have chosen to leave on his own.

The book was dull, unimaginative and mostly a waste of time. It was originally written in Swedish, and some of the pacing problems I noticed could have come from the translation, but I'll never know and it just wasn't a great read. It wasn't horrible, there just isn't much to recommend the book. It's a great idea, with great potential but the book did nothing with either. This is probably the only time I will say this, but do yourself a favor and just watch the movie instead... (Lightning is now going to strike me down in my hypocracy, but seriously... It's worth it this time...)

I know that this is going to make me sounds ethnocentric, but I liked the movie better because they made it more American, and more something that I could relate to. The movie also focuses more on the missing boy, and we follow him as he desperately tries to figure out what happened to him, where his body is, why no one can see him, and what he could possibly do to save himself. They changed the actual motivation behind the attack as well as the reaction of his assailant, and they fixed the pacing problems. We actually care about Nick as a person (they changed his name.) and not just as Detective Fors' current assignment. Nick still can't remember what happens and is really confused. At first, he thinks he is dead and it takes him a little while to realize that he is still alive, somewhere. The scene with the bird when Nick realizes his body is still alive is one of my most favorites.

The movie really is quite a bit different from the book, but I can't help but think that each change is an improvement. I know I just committed like, the cardinal sin of being a reader/book lover, but I had a really hard time relating and being drawn into the book, but the movie was quite good, rather suspenseful and definitely kept my attention the whole time.

Have any of you read the book or seen the movie? Or both? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! (And please, don't hate me! I always prefer the book to the movie. I'm allowed this one time, right?!)

Nickel Plated by Aric Davis is the story of Nickel, a 12 year old who ran away from foster care 2 years ago and has been living on his own since then. He supports himself by growing pot and selling it to high school students and blackmailing pedophiles he finds in internet chat rooms. He also does private detective (esque) work on the side for people referred to him through word of mouth. Adults he charges. Kids, he helps for free.

I'm still not completely sure how I felt about this one. I loved the premise — 12 year old boy: anti-hero, hero, vigilante. I also have to admit that I kind of liked that Nickel targeted pedophiles. People who hurt children make me sick. So I was very interested to see how that angle would be handled. While I liked the idea of this book, I'm still not sure how I feel about the execution.

Nickel was a little bit too good at what he did for me to believe him. He is 12. I get that he's had a really tough life. I get that kids are stronger, smarter, and more capable that adults often give them credit for. I know that extreme situations or circumstances find a way of drawing more out of us than we thought we had to give. I get it. But I have a really hard time believing that a 12 year old kid is capable of doing everything that Nickel does throughout the book. And too many things just fell into his lap. Too many pieces of the puzzle were just sort of handed to him. It was just a little bit too far-fetched for me to believe.

I also felt a bit of disconnect throughout the whole story. You read the book, and you hear these horror stories from Nickel, see into this horrid cesspool of humanity, but I never felt like it was emotional. Nickel earns an income from blackmailing pedophiles he finds in internet chat rooms. He does this because of his past, so that no other kid will ever have to live through the horrors he's had to deal with. And sure, we are told about a shudder here, or a oft repressed memory there, but I never felt Nickel's emotions here. It was all telling. We are told that Nickel could probably use a hug, would like a mom and misses his dad something fierce. But it's never really felt. It's like Nickel thinks if he talks about the emotions enough he will start to feel them, but he doesn't, not really.

But, even though there were a few things that I struggled with while reading this book, overall I did really like it. I think the book would have been a little more believable had Nickel been 14 instead of 12, because a lot changes in those 2 years, and a lot of maturing takes place. His thoughts and reactions to all things female would have been more believable (I have yet to meet a 12 year old who finds adult women 'hot'.) But Nickel really was a great character. He genuinely wants to make sure that other kids have a better life, to make sure that none of these other kids every have to suffer through the hellish childhood he had. When he was talking about other kids, and making them safer, that is where I felt like Nickel was real. There were sometimes I didn't necessarily believe his emotions, but never when talking about protecting kids. It breaks my heart that this 12 year old kid feels so responsible for others, feels so much like he must be the protector. Someone needs to give that boy a hug.

Books like this make me want to become a foster parent, when I reach a stage of life where I'd be able to. I want to take kids like this and prove to them that not everyone is bad, that not everyone will hurt them. Nickel needs that. He's done an admirable job of living on his own, and taking care of himself, but there are some things that a kid that age should never have to worry about. It hurts that he does.

So, overall, even though there were some things about this book that didn't necessarily work perfectly, it's definitely one that I am glad I read, one that I will recommend, and although I don't know if there are any plans for a sequel, I would definitely be willing to read about Nickel in the future. It's a story with a solid core, and Davis has potential as a writer. There is some stuff that needs to be tightened up, or fine-tuned, but I can really see Davis growing as a writer in the future, and I wouldn't mind watching him grow as a writer as Nickel grows as a character.

GIVEAWAY-


I also have a copy of this book available for one commenter! Leave a comment with your email address, and you could win a copy of the book!:)


The contest will be open until next Wednesday, April 20 at 11:59pm. Sorry International followers, but this is US only.