An Honest Review
I just finished reading The Only Boy, by Jordan Locke. Locke is a Twitter follower of mine. I'm not sure how or why Locke found me -- I'm not that popular, really, partially because I'm not that active on Twitter (a fact that I'm sure shocks you, knowing that I don't even have a cell phone with text capability) and partially because I don't spend time on it, trying to find my niche. And, I'm not funny. Or interesting. (Although I hope my characters are.) In any case, I thought, let's see who this person is. So I looked up the website, and actually sent an email to Jordan Locke. And here's the short story:
Jordan wrote a book. Jordan found an agent. Jordan's agent couldn't sell the manuscript to an editor. Jordan decided to self-publish.
So I know you want to know, how was the book? In case you don't feel like Googling anything or jumping to a link, here's the description of the book, taken from the back cover:
From that, you can see 1. this is a YA novel, and 2. it is, of course, a dystopian YA novel.
Don't let any of that turn you off, though. I enjoyed the book. It has short chapters (something I love) that keep the plot moving forward and the story is told from the point of view of both Mary and Taylor. Novels told from various points of view help me, as a reader, get into the characters in a way that I cannot from a singular first person point of view. Locke also does a fine job of world building and throws in some complications from time to time. I found the book on Amazon for $10. It was worth the read (and I enjoyed it more than Divergent.)
But what did I learn from this book? Nothing that Locke intended. As I read it, I looked at the novel from a writer's perspective. I critiqued the language, the style, and the characters. And overall, I was still pretty happy with the book. It did get me thinking, though. What if the agent had been able to sell the book to an editor? Would it have been better?
I think so. I found spots where I would have liked more information, on the characters, the world, the back story. I think an agent and editor working in concert with Locke would have addressed those issues. I think this story, while good coming out of the writer's hands, if it had been published in the traditional manner, could have been fantastic.
So even though I liked The Only Boy and I will let my girls read it, I'm sad that Jordan Locke's agent wasn't able to sell it. For Jordan's sake, really. Locke is a good writer, and hopefully, any further books will find a home with an editor who can help push forward the career of the author. In the meantime, I'm doing what I can to help out a fellow writer.
Jordan wrote a book. Jordan found an agent. Jordan's agent couldn't sell the manuscript to an editor. Jordan decided to self-publish.
So I know you want to know, how was the book? In case you don't feel like Googling anything or jumping to a link, here's the description of the book, taken from the back cover:
Mary is stuck in Section One, living with three hundred women in a crumbling hospital. She wonders what life was like two centuries ago, before the Cleansing wiped out all the men. But the rules -- the Matriarch's senseless rules -- prevent her from exploring the vacant city to find out.
Taylor's got a dangerous secret: he's a boy. His compound's been destroyed, and he's been relocated to Section One. Living under the Matriarch means giving up possessions, eating canned food and avoiding all physical contact. Baggy clothes hide his flat chest and skinny legs, but if anyone discovers what lies beneath, he'll be exiles. Maybe even executed.
Mary's never seen a boy -- the Matriarch cut the picture of men from the textbooks -- and she doesn't suspect Taylor's secret. If she knew, she might understand the need to stop the girls from teasing him. If she knew, she might realize why she breaks the rules, just to be near him. Then again, she might be frightened to death of him.
Taylor should go. The Matriarch is watching his every move. But running means leaving Mary -- and braving the land beyond the compound's boundaries.
From that, you can see 1. this is a YA novel, and 2. it is, of course, a dystopian YA novel.
Don't let any of that turn you off, though. I enjoyed the book. It has short chapters (something I love) that keep the plot moving forward and the story is told from the point of view of both Mary and Taylor. Novels told from various points of view help me, as a reader, get into the characters in a way that I cannot from a singular first person point of view. Locke also does a fine job of world building and throws in some complications from time to time. I found the book on Amazon for $10. It was worth the read (and I enjoyed it more than Divergent.)
But what did I learn from this book? Nothing that Locke intended. As I read it, I looked at the novel from a writer's perspective. I critiqued the language, the style, and the characters. And overall, I was still pretty happy with the book. It did get me thinking, though. What if the agent had been able to sell the book to an editor? Would it have been better?
I think so. I found spots where I would have liked more information, on the characters, the world, the back story. I think an agent and editor working in concert with Locke would have addressed those issues. I think this story, while good coming out of the writer's hands, if it had been published in the traditional manner, could have been fantastic.
So even though I liked The Only Boy and I will let my girls read it, I'm sad that Jordan Locke's agent wasn't able to sell it. For Jordan's sake, really. Locke is a good writer, and hopefully, any further books will find a home with an editor who can help push forward the career of the author. In the meantime, I'm doing what I can to help out a fellow writer.
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