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6th out of 29 books
—
5 voters
The Shiny Guys
by
Doug MacLeod
'Wouldn't it be funny if they were real?'
'Shiny red men?'
'What if I were the sane one and everyone else was mad?'
One night, the shiny guys visit fifteen-year-old Colin Lapsley. They don't speak, but Colin can read their thoughts. They want him to pay for the terrible thing that he has done. When the shiny guys won't go away, Colin is admitted to ward 44. There he discovers...more
'Shiny red men?'
'What if I were the sane one and everyone else was mad?'
One night, the shiny guys visit fifteen-year-old Colin Lapsley. They don't speak, but Colin can read their thoughts. They want him to pay for the terrible thing that he has done. When the shiny guys won't go away, Colin is admitted to ward 44. There he discovers...more
Paperback, 261 pages
Published
February 22nd 2012
by Penguin Australia
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Wonderfully written story that is different, twisted and full of humour, but is still serious with the issues at hand (ECT and mental illnesses).
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What is there for me to say about this book without repeating myself due to its brilliance? This review is quite hard to write as it’s one of those books that gives you an appreciation for many things. As I am studying Psychology and have looked into mental illnesses and know how it’s like and how someone can act and experienced it children with...more
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What is there for me to say about this book without repeating myself due to its brilliance? This review is quite hard to write as it’s one of those books that gives you an appreciation for many things. As I am studying Psychology and have looked into mental illnesses and know how it’s like and how someone can act and experienced it children with...more
The Shiny Guys by Doug MacLeod was a difficult book to get your teeth into from the beginning. The characters, Mango, Andrea and first person Colin were multifaceted and intriguing in many ways, however because of the way the mental illness was depicted, I found the storyline a little disjointed. Colin had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital a few years after the disappearance of his sister on a family outing. He became close to Mango and they became good friends. Enter Andrea who had been a...more
While this book was a quick read, I couldn't get into it and found myself reading quickly just to get it over and done with and to go onto something else.
The storyline was very different but I was too distracted by the cockroach parts to really enjoy it although I know why he saw these things I just got bored.
Colin is in a psychistric hospital Ward 44 after a tragedy in his family it's there we meet some interesting characters: Mango (Colin's best friend) who hugs people from behind and then has...more
The storyline was very different but I was too distracted by the cockroach parts to really enjoy it although I know why he saw these things I just got bored.
Colin is in a psychistric hospital Ward 44 after a tragedy in his family it's there we meet some interesting characters: Mango (Colin's best friend) who hugs people from behind and then has...more
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Although I was confused for large chunks of this book, I've decided that the writing is genius. The story is about Colin who ends up in ward 44 following the abduction of his sister. He starts to see shiny guys and experience some rather disturbing things. His friends, mango and Anthea are really interesting characters with their own set of problems. The genius in this book is the authors ability to make you believe all Colin is going through which in reality is just the effects of his mind, hal...more
Colin Lapsley is in Ward 44 because he has a little problem. Colin’s troubles began with the disappearance of his little sister three years ago. Briony was snatched from a hiking trail while under Colin’s care, and ever since her disappearance the Lapsley family haven’t been coping too well. Then new information came to light in Briony’s cold case… and ever since then, Colin has been seeing the shiny guys.
Because of Colin’s issues with the shiny guys, he is in Ward 44. Everyone here is a little...more
Because of Colin’s issues with the shiny guys, he is in Ward 44. Everyone here is a little...more
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I had the good fortune of speaking with Doug MacLeod about two years ago. We had a phone interview and he answered all my silly questions and was very generous with his time.
I tell you this because it's rare to have contact with an author, and therefore have some insight into their motivation to write. MacLeod is a funny man (seriously -- he can't switch it off), and having read his other novels, I was surprised by how dark this novel is (even though he warned me over the phone). At the same ti...more
I tell you this because it's rare to have contact with an author, and therefore have some insight into their motivation to write. MacLeod is a funny man (seriously -- he can't switch it off), and having read his other novels, I was surprised by how dark this novel is (even though he warned me over the phone). At the same ti...more
Set in a mental insitution during the 1980s, Larkin achieves that 'One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest' thing of combining humour and poignancy. The protagonist is afflicted by a situation in which he sees cockroaches out of the corners of his eyes, and for much of the book, and the author does not reveal whether this is a fantasy book (ie the cockroaches are real, and so are the protagonist's adventures into their world) or the coackroaches are part of the central character's delusion.
An odd and st...more
An odd and st...more
The Shiny Guys is still a haunting concept, even now.
A friend of mine recently asked me to borrow it out. I took her advice; definitely one of the better things I’ve listened to. Because throughout the entire novel, I kept thinking, “This is brilliant. I love this.”
When a girl who’s into light-hearted stories about strong female leads who realise life’s not going their way loves something dark and more boyish, you know the book’s excellent. There’s no specific audience: just people who love adve...more
A friend of mine recently asked me to borrow it out. I took her advice; definitely one of the better things I’ve listened to. Because throughout the entire novel, I kept thinking, “This is brilliant. I love this.”
When a girl who’s into light-hearted stories about strong female leads who realise life’s not going their way loves something dark and more boyish, you know the book’s excellent. There’s no specific audience: just people who love adve...more
Doug MacLeod is a wonderful writer. This book is strange and quirky, and it took a while for me to figure out whether Colin was really in the middle of a sci-fi story, or just crazy. So terribly sad in parts, and laugh out loud funny in others. I really loved his friend Mango, and his comments on his horrible room mate Len. There is a lot of compassion in this book, and I'm still trying to make up my mind about the ending. A real insight into how tragedy affects people, and the guilt of those le...more
This story was SO not what I thought it was going to be about at all! I found it quite difficult to rate, as I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure about the ending.
It's the story of teenager Colin, who is in a psychiatric ward due to a number of different factors, one of which is that he can 'see' large shiny guys (cockroach type people).
A very interesting and thought-provoking book about the effects of depression, shock, and shock-treatment on people's minds.
It's the story of teenager Colin, who is in a psychiatric ward due to a number of different factors, one of which is that he can 'see' large shiny guys (cockroach type people).
A very interesting and thought-provoking book about the effects of depression, shock, and shock-treatment on people's minds.
An engrossing and affecting story on another serious subject, depression. Colin is a 15-year-old boy who, after a very traumatic event, is hospitalized. He exists in a world where fantasy and reality merge in his mind. Some of the other patients offer him friendship and are part of the lighter aspects in the story. Although not a comedic novel there are many touches of dark humour.
CBCA 2013 shortlist: Older readers
CBCA 2013 shortlist: Older readers
I saw this book in the library and the cover grabbed me and sucked me in with the image of the Shiny guy. When I read the blub I was gone, engulfed my the magic his words created.
This is my own choice book as it doesn't come under any of the other category's. The book follows the rehab journey of 15 year old Colin Lapsley. When his sister disappears he feels and his parents silently agree with him that he it was his fault for what happened . He can't sleep so he takes a whole lot of sleeping pi...more
This is my own choice book as it doesn't come under any of the other category's. The book follows the rehab journey of 15 year old Colin Lapsley. When his sister disappears he feels and his parents silently agree with him that he it was his fault for what happened . He can't sleep so he takes a whole lot of sleeping pi...more
Wow. Like. Wow.
This book is just so unusual. It is the story of Colin Lapsley. The year is 1985. Colin sees things out the corner of his eyes. Shiny red guys, in leather jackets. As soon as he looks at them, they go, but he knows - they're always there. Colin is admitted to Ward 44. He shares a room with revolting Len. He has a good friend, Mango. Mango has a compulsion to hug people - and he can't let go. Colin doesn't mind. He just waits until Mango calms down. And then there's Anthea.
Parallel...more
This book is just so unusual. It is the story of Colin Lapsley. The year is 1985. Colin sees things out the corner of his eyes. Shiny red guys, in leather jackets. As soon as he looks at them, they go, but he knows - they're always there. Colin is admitted to Ward 44. He shares a room with revolting Len. He has a good friend, Mango. Mango has a compulsion to hug people - and he can't let go. Colin doesn't mind. He just waits until Mango calms down. And then there's Anthea.
Parallel...more
This further cements Doug MacLeod as one of the best Australian YA authors today. The bits that are funny are snort-worthy, and the bits that are sad, totally heart-wrenching.
And if everything isn't spelt out or clear, well, probably that's what life is often like for Colin. He's a great main character - flawed, but resourceful and loyal.
I am left with Qs, and I shouldn't be surprised.
And if everything isn't spelt out or clear, well, probably that's what life is often like for Colin. He's a great main character - flawed, but resourceful and loyal.
I am left with Qs, and I shouldn't be surprised.
I was expecting a grand finale that tied up all the ends, but this did not happen for me. Set in a psychiatric hospital, I found the characters hard to engage with, and while there were some clever, funny bits, I was left feeling this shortish book was a bit like cake dough that needed a bit more cooking. I can see how the aim was to convey insanity, but this is very, very hard to do.
I am convinced that Doug is a genius. We know that the main character in this story is in a psychiatric facility and yet Doug manages to make the reader want to believe his hallucinations. We want to believe his reality because we like this poor flawed guy (and his friends). Not only that but the author manages to incorporate wry humour, raw emotion and serious issues with the whole mental health system into every page while entertaining us every step of the way. How does he do it?
This is definitely one of the better books that I've read and I loved it,
The characters are all a bit quirky but then it gets you to think how people with some sought of mental illness.
At the same time as being funny it also tragically sad and depressing knowing that Colin (the main character) has lost his
Sister to the shiny guys (well that's what he thinks)
But still a very good book and I rate it 4.5 stars.
The characters are all a bit quirky but then it gets you to think how people with some sought of mental illness.
At the same time as being funny it also tragically sad and depressing knowing that Colin (the main character) has lost his
Sister to the shiny guys (well that's what he thinks)
But still a very good book and I rate it 4.5 stars.
This is a great book, but quite a shift for Doug MacLeod, who is known for his quirky humour in books such as Sister Madge's Book of Nun's and Siggy and Amber.
An interesting insight into mental illness for young adult readers.
-My full review of this book will be featured in the next edition of Australian Book Review.
An interesting insight into mental illness for young adult readers.
-My full review of this book will be featured in the next edition of Australian Book Review.
Having never read any of Doug Macleod's books before I am glad I started with The Shiny Guys. The Shiny Guys is a brilliant young adult novel that is hard to put down even when finished. I found myself re-reading it quite a few times and wishing I owned it.
An insider's look at mental illness- not as laugh out loud funny though there are some moments. Loved seeing Mango's and Anthea's views - widened my appreciation of Colin's situation.
I'll admit, this book messed with me. Once again, Doug MacLeod creates absurd drama for smart kids, but this book delves into new depths of psychological creepiness.
Exploring the minds of a misfit cast of teenagers living in a psychiatric ward, there are plenty of laughs to be had, but you almost feel bad for it. And as the plot develops, the stakes are raised, until you're not at all sure which - if any - of the narrators are reliable, and the unfortunate revelation is as inevitable as it is sh...more
Exploring the minds of a misfit cast of teenagers living in a psychiatric ward, there are plenty of laughs to be had, but you almost feel bad for it. And as the plot develops, the stakes are raised, until you're not at all sure which - if any - of the narrators are reliable, and the unfortunate revelation is as inevitable as it is sh...more
Interesting, different, deals with issues of family, loss, blame, mental illness, coping strategies,- did not hook me completely, but nevertheless an unusual perspective.
I... don't know. It's not his usual awesomeness. I enjoyed it. But it wasn't like wowzer, the ending a little too abrupt. Hm.
A very different type of read for teenagers. Intriguing and great characterisations Doug MacLeod! Highly recommended. :-)
Fabulously addictive, funny and fraught look at mental illness.
Apr 09, 2013
Christine Bongers
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
aussie-ya,
aussie-ya-reading-challenge
Brilliant, unhinged, desperately funny and sad. Set in a 1985 psychiatric ward, this novel tips its cap to Kafka with giant cockroaches and an ending that I found both whimsical and hopeful. For those who like their books to be what Kafka believed they should be: a hatchet to break the frozen sea within us.
Jun 10, 2013
Caitlin
is currently reading it
Jun 07, 2013
RCHK LIRC
marked it as to-read
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Doug MacLeod is a Melbourne-based writer and TV producer who has worked on many of Australia's most popular comedy shows, including The Comedy Company, Fast Forward, Big Girls' Blouse, The Micallef Program and SeaChange. He was also the script editor on Kath and Kim.
While he enjoys the TV work, he prefers writing books for young people. After leaving his full-time job in TV, Doug wrote the teenage...more
More about Doug MacLeod...
While he enjoys the TV work, he prefers writing books for young people. After leaving his full-time job in TV, Doug wrote the teenage...more
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