What do you think?
Rate this book
Sucktown, Alaska
Freshman year, Eddie Ashford had it all. Friends, parties, Taco Bell. He enjoyed it, reveled in it even. And he flunked out.
Now he wants to redeem himself. Has to. He takes a job in tiny Kusko, Alaska, and promises to stay a year. His intentions are pure, but soon he’s lonely, low on cash, and desperate to escape the tundra.
Now he wants to redeem himself. Has to. He takes a job in tiny Kusko, Alaska, and promises to stay a year. His intentions are pure, but soon he’s lonely, low on cash, and desperate to escape the tundra.
350 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2017
12 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
April 29, 2017
Galley provided by publisher
I was really looking forward to this one - the premise sounded like it could be good and I was hoping for some murder mystery type story. Did I get that? Not in the least.
The prologue had me hyped. Eddie was being shot at by some mysterious stranger, for some mysterious reason, so naturally I was intrigued.
The rest of the book? Was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest.
The plot, essentially, goes like this. Eddie Ashford flunks out of college. To get back in, or at least have a chance of getting back in, he heads out to the arse-end of nowhere, Alaska, to work in a newspaper. There, he meets this girl (we'll get to her in a moment). Said girl rejects him, at which point he decides he absolutely has to get out of the place. Because he's been rejected. (I don't get it either.) But he doesn't have the money. So what does he start to do? He starts smuggling weed. But, there is, in the arse-end of nowhere, Alaska, an, if not thriving, then extensive, bootlegging trade. And he manages to step on the toes of some of the major players, and wind up in trouble.
So. Not a murder mystery.
My major problem with this book was how the narrator talked about women (or rather, one woman, Taylor, the one who rejects him). To start with, he says (on first seeing her):
Charming, right? But wait. It continues.
They get into emailing each other, as friends, or at least on her part. He on the other hand, is only in it for sex. He calls her emails boring, when they are telling him about her, because they aren't flirty. He "sees red" when she talks to another guy, even though they are just friends, even though he is nothing to her. Then she rejects him, and there comes the part where he wants to get out. Because she just wants to be friends with him.
Next comes this guy's "pussy complex". I am just as baffled as you are. He explains it like so,
Lovely.
But I endured more. Even as every sexist quote made me want to tear my eyeballs out, and burn a copy of this book in effigy (which would have been quite hard given it's an ebook, but I would have found a way).
This comes after he gets rejected, when he decides actually being friends could be OK. Because he's a sleazeball. Next is,
Boys are gross.
Thankfully, after this point there wasn't much more I objected to, and the last 50 pages actually saw the story pick up a bit. Too bad that couldn't make up for the previous 300.
I was really looking forward to this one - the premise sounded like it could be good and I was hoping for some murder mystery type story. Did I get that? Not in the least.
The prologue had me hyped. Eddie was being shot at by some mysterious stranger, for some mysterious reason, so naturally I was intrigued.
The rest of the book? Was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest.
The plot, essentially, goes like this. Eddie Ashford flunks out of college. To get back in, or at least have a chance of getting back in, he heads out to the arse-end of nowhere, Alaska, to work in a newspaper. There, he meets this girl (we'll get to her in a moment). Said girl rejects him, at which point he decides he absolutely has to get out of the place. Because he's been rejected. (I don't get it either.) But he doesn't have the money. So what does he start to do? He starts smuggling weed. But, there is, in the arse-end of nowhere, Alaska, an, if not thriving, then extensive, bootlegging trade. And he manages to step on the toes of some of the major players, and wind up in trouble.
So. Not a murder mystery.
My major problem with this book was how the narrator talked about women (or rather, one woman, Taylor, the one who rejects him). To start with, he says (on first seeing her):
Ho. Lee. Shit.
Standing there might have been the hottest girl I'd seen. Ever. Anywhere. On TV, in person, in a magazine, in a movie, on a billboard. My ding dong went from zero to boner faster than a car's airbag can deply. I untucked my red flannel shirt to hide it.
The girl looked exotic. I couldn't pinpoint her lineage. Whatever she was, it amounted to a luscious mishmash of every female physical characteristic I held dear. Tall? Check. Long, straight blond hair? Check. Olive skin? Check. Pouty lips? Check. Hint of a buttchin? Check. Big bombs? Che - actually I couldn't tell. The light blue sweater she wore was too bulky. But with how perfect the rest of her was, it was fair to assume she was holding a nice rack of sleeper boobs under there.
Charming, right? But wait. It continues.
They get into emailing each other, as friends, or at least on her part. He on the other hand, is only in it for sex. He calls her emails boring, when they are telling him about her, because they aren't flirty. He "sees red" when she talks to another guy, even though they are just friends, even though he is nothing to her. Then she rejects him, and there comes the part where he wants to get out. Because she just wants to be friends with him.
Next comes this guy's "pussy complex". I am just as baffled as you are. He explains it like so,
I'd always had a major pussy complex. It all started when I was little, watching my dad and Max do guy stuff I wasn't mentally or physically capable of doing. They fixed cars, landscaped, finished basements - you name it. Growing up in Zimmerman never did my complex any favours, because every guy was a hard-ass. They knocked my dick in the dirt ever time a story of mine printed in the junior high school newspaper. Writing was art, and art was for pussies.
Lovely.
But I endured more. Even as every sexist quote made me want to tear my eyeballs out, and burn a copy of this book in effigy (which would have been quite hard given it's an ebook, but I would have found a way).
But wait now. A steam? With Taylor? And Bristy and Hope? With them naked? With me naked? Was this a joke? A mom suggesting that a horny and half-hard-already me strip down with her gorgeous daughter, inside a tiny, hot, steamy dark room?
This comes after he gets rejected, when he decides actually being friends could be OK. Because he's a sleazeball. Next is,
The girl of my dreams was sitting five feet in front of my face, naked. No bra. No panties. No nothing. Not even a bracelet around her wrist. Naked.
Insta-bone. I got the biggest one I'd ever had. It grew so tall, so fast, I thought it might smack my chin like an uppercut.
Boys are gross.
Thankfully, after this point there wasn't much more I objected to, and the last 50 pages actually saw the story pick up a bit. Too bad that couldn't make up for the previous 300.
April 29, 2018
That was the only way in - by plane. No roads connected Kusko to Anchorage, or to anywhere in civilisation. That idea - the remoteness of the place - intrigued me.
* * .5
2.5 / 5
Eddie Ashford failed the first semester of university. In order to redeem himself in the eyes of the university admissions department, he takes up a job working for the Delta Patriot, a paper published in the tiny town of Kusko in rural Alaska. It's a coming of age sort of story and prominently considers drugs and rural life. I couldn't stand the main character, Eddie, but I loved the setting and all the details about what life is like in a place as wild as the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
I was glad he swore. Working at the Delta Patriot would be my first real job, and I didn't know the swearing rules at real jobs.
What I did like was the journalism focus and the setting. I don't know much about America at all, let alone Alaska. Eddie moves from Anchorage to Kusko, a small town on the ice fields, and the newspaper he writes for is delivered all across the YK Delta, an area covering many small Native villages. There's a lot of hunting, fishing, and dog sledding or "mushing" as well as detailed information about what living in a place like Kusko might be like; to be uneducated eye, the book seems well researched. The stories that Eddie works on are sprinkled throughout the book and I liked reading about the newspaper process and reporting job.
My ding dong went from zero to boner faster than a car's airbag can deploy. I untucked my red flannel shirt to hide it.
Eddie is an eighteen year old boy and the way he is written as thinking about women is frankly a little disturbing. Particularly when most of the women he encounters are high-school girls. He meets a high-school girl and calls her "exotic", ogles the "amazing bounty of her chest", and thinks about her "perky pooper", which is just about the weirdest term for butt I've ever heard. It's demeaning and uncomfortable to read and was one of the aspects I hated the most about Sucktown, Alaska, and Eddie. It's also just really weird: "real jiggle farm" and "honkerburgers", really?
When Taylor's friends imply that Taylor isn't interested in Eddie, he storms off angrily. Essentially, Eddie is neither a great guy or an interesting one: he whines a lot about how broke he is, how boring Kusko is after he flunked out of college, how Taylor doesn't like him back. The weird thing is, Eddie isn't really like this at the start. He seems a bit more mature, taking responsibility for his college failure, determined to make a good impression on his boss, and get his articles in on time. He passes up alcohol and weed because he needs to stay on the straight and narrow to get back into college. But at some point this rather likeable character devolves into a immature brat who whines that a girl he hung out with once isn't interested in his "ding dong".
In less than a year I went from normal suburban kid to bush-living, marijuana-dealing, murderer-dodging, broke-ass fool.
The ending was decent. I didn't really suspect what was happening and it took on a few twists and turns. It did feel a bit too jammy and cliche, but I liked it nonetheless. I'm in a bit of a mixed-mind about the whole book - I liked the writing but hated the way Eddie thought and spoke about women, I liked his character growth but had to wade through pages of him being a self-entitled brat, I thought the setting was great but a bit under-utilised.
My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.
Read this review and more on my blog: https://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.co...
* * .5
2.5 / 5
Eddie Ashford failed the first semester of university. In order to redeem himself in the eyes of the university admissions department, he takes up a job working for the Delta Patriot, a paper published in the tiny town of Kusko in rural Alaska. It's a coming of age sort of story and prominently considers drugs and rural life. I couldn't stand the main character, Eddie, but I loved the setting and all the details about what life is like in a place as wild as the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
I was glad he swore. Working at the Delta Patriot would be my first real job, and I didn't know the swearing rules at real jobs.
What I did like was the journalism focus and the setting. I don't know much about America at all, let alone Alaska. Eddie moves from Anchorage to Kusko, a small town on the ice fields, and the newspaper he writes for is delivered all across the YK Delta, an area covering many small Native villages. There's a lot of hunting, fishing, and dog sledding or "mushing" as well as detailed information about what living in a place like Kusko might be like; to be uneducated eye, the book seems well researched. The stories that Eddie works on are sprinkled throughout the book and I liked reading about the newspaper process and reporting job.
My ding dong went from zero to boner faster than a car's airbag can deploy. I untucked my red flannel shirt to hide it.
Eddie is an eighteen year old boy and the way he is written as thinking about women is frankly a little disturbing. Particularly when most of the women he encounters are high-school girls. He meets a high-school girl and calls her "exotic", ogles the "amazing bounty of her chest", and thinks about her "perky pooper", which is just about the weirdest term for butt I've ever heard. It's demeaning and uncomfortable to read and was one of the aspects I hated the most about Sucktown, Alaska, and Eddie. It's also just really weird: "real jiggle farm" and "honkerburgers", really?
When Taylor's friends imply that Taylor isn't interested in Eddie, he storms off angrily. Essentially, Eddie is neither a great guy or an interesting one: he whines a lot about how broke he is, how boring Kusko is after he flunked out of college, how Taylor doesn't like him back. The weird thing is, Eddie isn't really like this at the start. He seems a bit more mature, taking responsibility for his college failure, determined to make a good impression on his boss, and get his articles in on time. He passes up alcohol and weed because he needs to stay on the straight and narrow to get back into college. But at some point this rather likeable character devolves into a immature brat who whines that a girl he hung out with once isn't interested in his "ding dong".
In less than a year I went from normal suburban kid to bush-living, marijuana-dealing, murderer-dodging, broke-ass fool.
The ending was decent. I didn't really suspect what was happening and it took on a few twists and turns. It did feel a bit too jammy and cliche, but I liked it nonetheless. I'm in a bit of a mixed-mind about the whole book - I liked the writing but hated the way Eddie thought and spoke about women, I liked his character growth but had to wade through pages of him being a self-entitled brat, I thought the setting was great but a bit under-utilised.
My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.
Read this review and more on my blog: https://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.co...
November 9, 2021
Semi-review of Sucktown Alaska by Craig Dirkes.
Rating: 1/5 stars.
Maybe 2017 wants me to lower my rating on Goodreads.
Gosh I got this free copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and here it is.
I honestly couldn't finish this book. I didn't like it. Craig is a really funny author, I like his way of seeing the art of writing, but I can't say that I enjoyed his novel. For the little I read (1/3 of the book) the main character isn't interesting, and there are many others that are just soooo dumb. The girls for example, gosh I totally hated them, and I didn't even understand Finn or Eddie's boss. They're pretty useless for me.
The idea of this book is good. I just didn't like the way it turned out. I would have developed it in totally different way, but I get that we all have various ways of thinking.
Rating: 1/5 stars.
Maybe 2017 wants me to lower my rating on Goodreads.
Gosh I got this free copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and here it is.
I honestly couldn't finish this book. I didn't like it. Craig is a really funny author, I like his way of seeing the art of writing, but I can't say that I enjoyed his novel. For the little I read (1/3 of the book) the main character isn't interesting, and there are many others that are just soooo dumb. The girls for example, gosh I totally hated them, and I didn't even understand Finn or Eddie's boss. They're pretty useless for me.
The idea of this book is good. I just didn't like the way it turned out. I would have developed it in totally different way, but I get that we all have various ways of thinking.
February 4, 2017
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This has no bearing on my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Okay, so maybe it’s a little more complicated than that, but you get the gist of it.
Before I get into the few issues I had with this novel, let me tell you what I enjoyed about it. I flew through it. Seriously. I can’t remember the last time I read a book so quickly. If I was reading a physical copy, I’d probably be covered in papercuts. Alas, I’m just sitting here with an index finger that’s cramping from swiping left on my e-reader too quickly.
Another thing I really liked is the general premise of the story. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in Alaska, let alone somewhere as anonymous as Kusko, but I liked learning about the residents and their small town life. I’ve also been looking for more diverse books to read this year, so I did appreciate the incorporation of so many indigenous people. That being said, this is where things got a little problematic for me.
I feel like a lot of the characters (aside from our MC) are very stereotypical, and not in a particularly positive way either. It seems like the only character who doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t drink, and does well in school (and has ambition), isn’t even really indigenous. At least, the only good qualities that Eddie admires about her are the European characteristics she got from her mother. What does that say about the other indigenous girls in the book? Bristy (whom Eddie initially found attractive) and Hope were basically both dismissed as potential romantic interests as soon as the “exotic” girl with blonde hair was introduced. But maybe this is just me being disappointed by my expectations. I personally would have found the story to be a bit more meaningful if the only character who had their shit together wasn’t basically white. I might be making something out of nothing though. Even though I am a POC, I am obviously not indigenous and don’t feel like I have the authority to say if this book is offensive or not. Also, I have never been to Alaska (whereas the author has spent quite a bit of time there), so I can’t really judge whether his descriptions of people are accurate or not, despite how problematic they may be.
Now that I’ve gotten all that out of the way, I’d like to remind you of what I stated earlier. I did enjoy this book (for the most part). I read it very quickly. The “crime” aspect really hooked me. It was kind of funny (if you can get over most of the gross boy humour), but I feel like some of it was almost forced. At times it felt like the author was trying too hard to be funny and “talk shit”, but that could also be due to the fact that Eddie’s character is supposed to be awkward and not very funny, despite his many efforts to be liked. Speaking of Eddie wanting to be liked… how gross is it when guys get mad if you don’t like them back? Um, hello? What makes you think you are entitled to more than friendship? But that’s a rant for another time. Obviously Eddie needs to grow up, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from an 18-year-old such as himself.
In conclusion, this was a solid read but maybe not my cup of tea. If the synopsis reels you in like it hooked me and you don’t care about the issues I stated above, I think that you’ll really enjoy this book. I hope that you do!
Find me (and my reviews) elsewhere:
My Blog ● Instagram ● Twitter
“Figure it out.”This is a fast-paced, coming-of-age tale about a Minnesotan boy (temporarily) living in middle-of-nowhere, Alaska. He gets himself into trouble and then he figures things out.
Okay, so maybe it’s a little more complicated than that, but you get the gist of it.
Before I get into the few issues I had with this novel, let me tell you what I enjoyed about it. I flew through it. Seriously. I can’t remember the last time I read a book so quickly. If I was reading a physical copy, I’d probably be covered in papercuts. Alas, I’m just sitting here with an index finger that’s cramping from swiping left on my e-reader too quickly.
Another thing I really liked is the general premise of the story. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in Alaska, let alone somewhere as anonymous as Kusko, but I liked learning about the residents and their small town life. I’ve also been looking for more diverse books to read this year, so I did appreciate the incorporation of so many indigenous people. That being said, this is where things got a little problematic for me.
I feel like a lot of the characters (aside from our MC) are very stereotypical, and not in a particularly positive way either. It seems like the only character who doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t drink, and does well in school (and has ambition), isn’t even really indigenous. At least, the only good qualities that Eddie admires about her are the European characteristics she got from her mother. What does that say about the other indigenous girls in the book? Bristy (whom Eddie initially found attractive) and Hope were basically both dismissed as potential romantic interests as soon as the “exotic” girl with blonde hair was introduced. But maybe this is just me being disappointed by my expectations. I personally would have found the story to be a bit more meaningful if the only character who had their shit together wasn’t basically white. I might be making something out of nothing though. Even though I am a POC, I am obviously not indigenous and don’t feel like I have the authority to say if this book is offensive or not. Also, I have never been to Alaska (whereas the author has spent quite a bit of time there), so I can’t really judge whether his descriptions of people are accurate or not, despite how problematic they may be.
Now that I’ve gotten all that out of the way, I’d like to remind you of what I stated earlier. I did enjoy this book (for the most part). I read it very quickly. The “crime” aspect really hooked me. It was kind of funny (if you can get over most of the gross boy humour), but I feel like some of it was almost forced. At times it felt like the author was trying too hard to be funny and “talk shit”, but that could also be due to the fact that Eddie’s character is supposed to be awkward and not very funny, despite his many efforts to be liked. Speaking of Eddie wanting to be liked… how gross is it when guys get mad if you don’t like them back? Um, hello? What makes you think you are entitled to more than friendship? But that’s a rant for another time. Obviously Eddie needs to grow up, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from an 18-year-old such as himself.
In conclusion, this was a solid read but maybe not my cup of tea. If the synopsis reels you in like it hooked me and you don’t care about the issues I stated above, I think that you’ll really enjoy this book. I hope that you do!
Find me (and my reviews) elsewhere:
My Blog ● Instagram ● Twitter
Read
January 8, 2017Loved the blurb and the cover. Hated almost every other thing about it. Sadly this story that I'd had high hopes for - set in the wilderness, kid breaks out to do something exciting and different, lots of things to like here - didn't even begin to work for me. It needs a re-edit.
June 15, 2017
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read and review Sucktown, Alaska by Craig Dirkes. Eddie has taken a job in the Alaskan bush while he's on academic probation from college. He wants to earn money and turn his life around and he feels that the next year of his life can do this for him. This book contains new adult language and is geared toward college age young adults . Desolate Alaska is more dramatic than Eddie thought it would be. He makes some good choices and then some bad choices and that's when things spiral out of his control. I enjoyed the descriptions of Alaska and its wilderness and the sled dogs were pretty impressive! 4 stars for this coming of age story with its unique setting and characters.
April 6, 2017
Teenage Eddie wants to be a journalist. One problem: he parties so much he flunks out of his *first* freshman semester of college... and he's afraid to tell his dad. (His mom died long ago.) Instead, he gets a job at a newspaper in a small town in Alaska - which he "affectionately" calls "Sucktown". The town is tiny. It's freezing. All.The.Time. There's no night life - and it's either always night or always day. He lives with his boss, and next door to a druggie, with whom he becomes friends.
He also falls head over heals in love with a girl named Taylor, who does not reciprocate his feelings - after all, once his year contract is up, he's out of Sucktown. Fast.
In the meantime, he of course gets himself into trouble by selling marijuana. Mainly because he wants the money and wants to get out of Sucktown. Really badly.
This is the definite opposite of a "chick flick" - it's totally a "boy book" - which is not to say that girls won't enjoy the story - there are, after all, girls in it, and settings and situations anyone can relate to. It's just got lots of testosterone.
Things I liked about this book: it's really easy to read. The dialogue is great and real. The people are fully drawn. The descriptions make you feel you're really there. It's clever in parts. And funny in parts. It's not your typically setting for a novel. And the paper used for the cover of the ARC is really really nice.
What I don't like: the parts that ripped my heart out because they were so sad. And Eddie's crazy devotion / lovesickness to Taylor. (I just wanted to shake him silly.)
It's not your typical coming-of-age novel, and I liked that too.
4.5 stars
Note: I received an ARC from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.
He also falls head over heals in love with a girl named Taylor, who does not reciprocate his feelings - after all, once his year contract is up, he's out of Sucktown. Fast.
In the meantime, he of course gets himself into trouble by selling marijuana. Mainly because he wants the money and wants to get out of Sucktown. Really badly.
This is the definite opposite of a "chick flick" - it's totally a "boy book" - which is not to say that girls won't enjoy the story - there are, after all, girls in it, and settings and situations anyone can relate to. It's just got lots of testosterone.
Things I liked about this book: it's really easy to read. The dialogue is great and real. The people are fully drawn. The descriptions make you feel you're really there. It's clever in parts. And funny in parts. It's not your typically setting for a novel. And the paper used for the cover of the ARC is really really nice.
What I don't like: the parts that ripped my heart out because they were so sad. And Eddie's crazy devotion / lovesickness to Taylor. (I just wanted to shake him silly.)
It's not your typical coming-of-age novel, and I liked that too.
4.5 stars
Note: I received an ARC from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.
April 25, 2017
Okay, so I received an ARC for this book from NetGalley.com and I hate that I must write a review for this book. I did not enjoy it at all. Here are some reasons why...
Top three things I loved about this book:
1. I liked that the setting is in Alaska and you get a good view into what some of the smaller towns and what life might be like out there.
**That is the only thing I liked about this book.**
Top three things I did not care for in the book:
1. I hated the main character. He is a whiny, self-involved, dumbass. How could anybody read this book and care about whether or not this kid gets eaten by a bear or gutted by a moose is beyond me. In fact, there were a few times where I was really hoping one of those things would happen.
2. I am not against strong language or even crude comments in a book. In fact it can make the story more effective or relatable...nope, not in this book.
3. Can you shoot a fictional character? None of the characters were interesting to me and they all were horrible people. I didn't like any of them, which would have helped the book in the long run even if I did not like Eddie.
Overall, I would not recommend this book to any of my students...or anyone else for that matter. I, personally, did not find that there is anything to gain from this book. I'm going to end this review here and move on to something more deserving of my time.
Top three things I loved about this book:
1. I liked that the setting is in Alaska and you get a good view into what some of the smaller towns and what life might be like out there.
**That is the only thing I liked about this book.**
Top three things I did not care for in the book:
1. I hated the main character. He is a whiny, self-involved, dumbass. How could anybody read this book and care about whether or not this kid gets eaten by a bear or gutted by a moose is beyond me. In fact, there were a few times where I was really hoping one of those things would happen.
2. I am not against strong language or even crude comments in a book. In fact it can make the story more effective or relatable...nope, not in this book.
3. Can you shoot a fictional character? None of the characters were interesting to me and they all were horrible people. I didn't like any of them, which would have helped the book in the long run even if I did not like Eddie.
Overall, I would not recommend this book to any of my students...or anyone else for that matter. I, personally, did not find that there is anything to gain from this book. I'm going to end this review here and move on to something more deserving of my time.
April 1, 2017
Sucktown, Alaska by Craig Dirkes is an incredible young adult novel that follows the main character Eddie as he explores the ups and downs of becoming a man in a rural Alaskan Village. Eddie failed his first semester in college and is trying to redeem himself by taking a journalism job in a Kusko, Alaska. Kusko is one of many small bush villages. Dirkes does a wonderful job describing the life and hardships that accompany being out in the bush. This story tells of making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. When Eddie misses up he realizes that he could lose his chance at love with Taylor, a girl he met while interviewing for the paper. She is smart and as no time for trouble while she achieves her goals in life. Taylor being head strong helps Eddie see the way on the right side of the law. I feel this novel is a good read for anyone who likes to see the underdog win. ** I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.**
Read
March 29, 2017~ review copy
For me SUCKTOWN is one of those rare books where I like the word-smithing, and enjoyed the word-building --background information on Alaska in this case-- but didn't like the MC or the story.
The beginning of this YA book had my attention. It was interesting and promised some intriguing observations and commentary. But as the chapters rolled on I became less and less interested in this college kid who could have been a winner, but who was disappointingly toting a big "L" around with him.
So... half way through I dnf'd and did scanning. Fact is, it just wasn't the book for me. I couldn't, for example, get over the fact that in this native American community where everyone was pretty much related to everyone else, except for maybe a handful of whites, that his love interest had long blonde hair.
SUCKTOWN is not a book you should avoid. Just one that you should read the reviews on to see if it's your type of YA. There's a lot of 'real life' chatter and you certainly get a boy's view of boobs and wood. It just wasn't a book that engaged me.
For me SUCKTOWN is one of those rare books where I like the word-smithing, and enjoyed the word-building --background information on Alaska in this case-- but didn't like the MC or the story.
The beginning of this YA book had my attention. It was interesting and promised some intriguing observations and commentary. But as the chapters rolled on I became less and less interested in this college kid who could have been a winner, but who was disappointingly toting a big "L" around with him.
So... half way through I dnf'd and did scanning. Fact is, it just wasn't the book for me. I couldn't, for example, get over the fact that in this native American community where everyone was pretty much related to everyone else, except for maybe a handful of whites, that his love interest had long blonde hair.
SUCKTOWN is not a book you should avoid. Just one that you should read the reviews on to see if it's your type of YA. There's a lot of 'real life' chatter and you certainly get a boy's view of boobs and wood. It just wasn't a book that engaged me.
March 31, 2017
A contemporary coming-of-age novel set in a tiny-and quirky-town in Alaska, that unfortunately did not live up to my expectation.
-------------------------
Eddie Ashford is eighteen, and has just managed to flunk out of his first semester of college in Anchorage, Alaska. In an attempt to get some work experience in journalism-which could possibly help him in his effort to reenroll in school by showing that he is ready to be a student again-he gets hired as a reporter by the owner of a small paper in the remote town of Kusko.
It doesn't take long for Eddie to want to go back to Anchorage, what with all the crazy Alaskan experiences and stupid situations he ends up in, but several things hold him back: the lack of money to actually get him out of Kusko, his new very chill friend Finn, and Taylor, the very smart and beautiful girl he's just started falling for.
But even with his burgeoning friendships, and the chance of a possible romance, the idea of leaving his always on his mind.
------------------------
Being an Alaskan who has lived in small-town Alaska, and currently living in Anchorage (which is the biggest city my state has to offer), I was super interested in reading a book that is set in my state. Also, I have to admit that I wanted to read it so that I could possibly find any factual errors or Alaskanisms that may have been misused, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the author knew what he was talking about, having had actually lived in bush Alaska (which is any region of the state that is not connected to the North American road system), thus helping give the story some credence.
But now for the bad. (And unfortunately, there is a lot of it.)
It's obvious Eddie is extremely immature, considering he had flunked out his first semester of college due to all the partying he did, so it's really no surprise when he says and does stupid things. A lot.
There's also the cringe-worthy way he views poor Taylor. He goes on and on about how attractive she is and also gives crude descriptions of how his body reacts to her, while mentioning the parts of her he likes...gross.
I can't even say if I actually remember him speaking of attraction that isn't physical when it comes to her. Then when his feelings aren't quite returned, he gets mad and wants to end his "friendship" with her. He's just extremely ridiculous when it comes to how he treats her; I'm surprised she's even interested in being friends with him. Sheesh.
Finally, as we're getting closer to the end of the book, big things happen, which are supposedly meant to be "life lessons" for Eddie, but by this point, I was ready for this book to be over. I wasn't interested in reading about big life lessons anymore. I was pretty much satisfied with assuming that Eddie was an idiot who'd continue on in his own stupid world. The end.
So the last 25% ended up feeling like author remembered the end was coming up and needed to wrap up the story somehow-big life lessons-type of somehow-hence all the crazy that suddenly goes down. But as I'd already said, I was ready for it to be done, so I was not impressed, nor interested.
Anyway, this book was alright in the sense of it being a coming-of-age novel, but Eddie was just so unlikable for me, that I could not really like this book.
Sorry, but not one I'll recommend.
Thank you to Switch Press who provided this copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
-------------------------
Eddie Ashford is eighteen, and has just managed to flunk out of his first semester of college in Anchorage, Alaska. In an attempt to get some work experience in journalism-which could possibly help him in his effort to reenroll in school by showing that he is ready to be a student again-he gets hired as a reporter by the owner of a small paper in the remote town of Kusko.
It doesn't take long for Eddie to want to go back to Anchorage, what with all the crazy Alaskan experiences and stupid situations he ends up in, but several things hold him back: the lack of money to actually get him out of Kusko, his new very chill friend Finn, and Taylor, the very smart and beautiful girl he's just started falling for.
But even with his burgeoning friendships, and the chance of a possible romance, the idea of leaving his always on his mind.
------------------------
Being an Alaskan who has lived in small-town Alaska, and currently living in Anchorage (which is the biggest city my state has to offer), I was super interested in reading a book that is set in my state. Also, I have to admit that I wanted to read it so that I could possibly find any factual errors or Alaskanisms that may have been misused, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the author knew what he was talking about, having had actually lived in bush Alaska (which is any region of the state that is not connected to the North American road system), thus helping give the story some credence.
But now for the bad. (And unfortunately, there is a lot of it.)
It's obvious Eddie is extremely immature, considering he had flunked out his first semester of college due to all the partying he did, so it's really no surprise when he says and does stupid things. A lot.
There's also the cringe-worthy way he views poor Taylor. He goes on and on about how attractive she is and also gives crude descriptions of how his body reacts to her, while mentioning the parts of her he likes...gross.
I can't even say if I actually remember him speaking of attraction that isn't physical when it comes to her. Then when his feelings aren't quite returned, he gets mad and wants to end his "friendship" with her. He's just extremely ridiculous when it comes to how he treats her; I'm surprised she's even interested in being friends with him. Sheesh.
Finally, as we're getting closer to the end of the book, big things happen, which are supposedly meant to be "life lessons" for Eddie, but by this point, I was ready for this book to be over. I wasn't interested in reading about big life lessons anymore. I was pretty much satisfied with assuming that Eddie was an idiot who'd continue on in his own stupid world. The end.
So the last 25% ended up feeling like author remembered the end was coming up and needed to wrap up the story somehow-big life lessons-type of somehow-hence all the crazy that suddenly goes down. But as I'd already said, I was ready for it to be done, so I was not impressed, nor interested.
Anyway, this book was alright in the sense of it being a coming-of-age novel, but Eddie was just so unlikable for me, that I could not really like this book.
Sorry, but not one I'll recommend.
Thank you to Switch Press who provided this copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 26, 2017
3.5 Stars
This book was a new experience for me. I haven't read many books with a main character that makes insanely stupid decisions almost all the time. This was also a first because it felt like I was reading through the eyes of a typical college "fuckboy". Eddie flunks out of his first semester of college because parties are life and decides, instead of manning up and telling his family this and going home to figure things out, he takes up a journalist job in Kusko, Alaska to get experience in the journalism field. He thinks his school will take him back after that and it'll help him get some cash in his pocket at the same time.
This boy is insane at times. He gets involved in drug trafficking and has people wanting to kill him for being in their territory, in terms of drugs and bootlegging. Despite the dangers in this, he still makes stupid decisions that almost get him thrown in jail. If it weren't for the fact that he learns to man up and try to fix things in the end of the novel, I would've hated this book.
Also, this boy is so horny and likes this girl Taylor because of how hot she is. And when she tells him no repeatedly, because she doesn't want to bother having a relationship with someone who will just leave her later, he throws hissyfits and tries to leave Kusko as soon as possible because he couldn't bear the embarrassment of not screwing this chick.
Overall, this was an interesting novel, but only because of Eddie's stupid decisions getting him into trouble.
This book was a new experience for me. I haven't read many books with a main character that makes insanely stupid decisions almost all the time. This was also a first because it felt like I was reading through the eyes of a typical college "fuckboy". Eddie flunks out of his first semester of college because parties are life and decides, instead of manning up and telling his family this and going home to figure things out, he takes up a journalist job in Kusko, Alaska to get experience in the journalism field. He thinks his school will take him back after that and it'll help him get some cash in his pocket at the same time.
This boy is insane at times. He gets involved in drug trafficking and has people wanting to kill him for being in their territory, in terms of drugs and bootlegging. Despite the dangers in this, he still makes stupid decisions that almost get him thrown in jail. If it weren't for the fact that he learns to man up and try to fix things in the end of the novel, I would've hated this book.
Also, this boy is so horny and likes this girl Taylor because of how hot she is. And when she tells him no repeatedly, because she doesn't want to bother having a relationship with someone who will just leave her later, he throws hissyfits and tries to leave Kusko as soon as possible because he couldn't bear the embarrassment of not screwing this chick.
Overall, this was an interesting novel, but only because of Eddie's stupid decisions getting him into trouble.
November 15, 2016
I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.
I flew through this book. Mainly because I didn't like it much at all and wanted to get it done and over with. This came close several times to being a do not finish. I didn't like the main character. He is honestly a person in real life that I would want to knee in the tender bits. He was very objectifying to women. He 'liked' Taylor but also had to comment on how hot she was or a part of her body, everytime. He kept making dumb choices and really didn't see any consequences to them. The other character almost had more personal growth than he did. The only reason this book became two stars instead of one is because the ending made him finally grow a pair and grow up a bit. Honestly, it is like 1.5 stars cause I don't even think OK just not total crud. But yea not that impressed. Maybe it wasn't the book for me because I see others like it but overall, meh.
I flew through this book. Mainly because I didn't like it much at all and wanted to get it done and over with. This came close several times to being a do not finish. I didn't like the main character. He is honestly a person in real life that I would want to knee in the tender bits. He was very objectifying to women. He 'liked' Taylor but also had to comment on how hot she was or a part of her body, everytime. He kept making dumb choices and really didn't see any consequences to them. The other character almost had more personal growth than he did. The only reason this book became two stars instead of one is because the ending made him finally grow a pair and grow up a bit. Honestly, it is like 1.5 stars cause I don't even think OK just not total crud. But yea not that impressed. Maybe it wasn't the book for me because I see others like it but overall, meh.
did-not-finish
April 2, 2017After over 120 pgs and trying to read this multiple times. I just can't.
The main character even though he is college age, is unable to call body parts what they are and instead makes up ridiculous names for them.
Besides that though he is also surprised when teenage girls know how to hook up dogs to a sled.... It's ALASKA does he really not realize that in the town they are in that that is how a lot of people have to get around.
Plus once he does get turned down for a date, he can't handle it and instead starts sulking and refuses to continue the friendship with said girl.
All of this and several other things just made me not want to keep reading this book, which is a shame because the premise of it sounded really interesting.
The main character even though he is college age, is unable to call body parts what they are and instead makes up ridiculous names for them.
Besides that though he is also surprised when teenage girls know how to hook up dogs to a sled.... It's ALASKA does he really not realize that in the town they are in that that is how a lot of people have to get around.
Plus once he does get turned down for a date, he can't handle it and instead starts sulking and refuses to continue the friendship with said girl.
All of this and several other things just made me not want to keep reading this book, which is a shame because the premise of it sounded really interesting.
October 21, 2016
I received this novel from NetGalley.
This book is a breath of fresh air, it is honest, funny, witty and relatable. The main character is someone you could have known your whole life.
This book is well written and really takes you on a journey of growing up and realising life is so much more than what you think it is. A fantastic coming-of-age novel.
The character progression we see with Eddie is fantastic, we see him grow from a frat-boy, to a confused man-boy to a fully fledged mushing-man.
This novel kept me entertained for 3 days, I wish I didn't have to stop reading in between. A great read.
This book is a breath of fresh air, it is honest, funny, witty and relatable. The main character is someone you could have known your whole life.
This book is well written and really takes you on a journey of growing up and realising life is so much more than what you think it is. A fantastic coming-of-age novel.
The character progression we see with Eddie is fantastic, we see him grow from a frat-boy, to a confused man-boy to a fully fledged mushing-man.
This novel kept me entertained for 3 days, I wish I didn't have to stop reading in between. A great read.
November 18, 2021
Despite the over-the-top sexual descriptions of women in the book, it wasn’t bad to read. If anything, it definitely feels authentic to what an 18-year-old college drop out with the maturity of a middle schooler would think.
I agree with other reviewers when they say it was “charming”, but I think the main character Eddie was not meant to be charming at all. At least, not at first.
It gets better, if you stick through to the end. It’s a great book for guys who can relate to Eddie’s characters development.
I agree with other reviewers when they say it was “charming”, but I think the main character Eddie was not meant to be charming at all. At least, not at first.
It gets better, if you stick through to the end. It’s a great book for guys who can relate to Eddie’s characters development.
December 9, 2016
DNF; stopped on page 132.
There is so much wrong with this book and it disgusts me. The writing is horrible, he talks in slang a good bit and lets face it, that's just not good grammar. Lol The main character seems to whine NON FREAKING STOP!!! Okay, we get it, you are a low life who flunked out and you took a job in Alaska in the middle of nowhere. Also, lying to your parents, who think you are still at college, so they can't help you even if you needed it. So who's fault is it really? YOURS!! So stop looking down your nose at all these other people and how they live just because you haven't been there. You ain't so high and mighty.
And let me just say, this book belittles women and talks so horrible about them. If I wanted to keep hearing about tits, I would watch a porno or read smut.
Lets touch down on some real trouble, shall we. I mean, the REAL deal breakers.
Is there any certain reason you are trying to make the receptionist sound slow/stupid? Unable to make a complete total sentence?
"You go see Taylor Sifsof. Hold on."
"Taylor in classroom studying while rest of students at lunch. You go to classroom. Room 107, just around corner."
What really made me sick with this book was the fact, he is grown, and suppose to be in college. But he has to report on a high schooler winning a spelling bee. The second he walks in to the school, he is wondering what the girl looks like. I'm sorry, does it matter? You are grown, she is still in school. Oh but it gets so much worse! He meets her and the total disgusting man slob comes out.
Ho. Lee. Shit.
Standing there might have been the hottest girl I'd seen. Ever. Anywhere on TV, in person, in a magazine, in a movie, on a billboard. My ding dong went from zero to boner faster than a car's airbag can deploy. I untucked my red flannel shirt to hide it.
Really dude? That is just freaking nasty! Also, can we say JAILBAIT! This guy is making me sick to my stomach. But wait! THERE IS MORE!
The girl looked exotic. I couoldn't pinpoint her lineage. Whatever she was, it amounted to a luxious mishmash of every female physical characteristic I held dear. Tall? Check. Long, straight blond hair, Check. Olive skin? Check. Pouty lips? Check. Hint of buttchin? Check. Big bombs? Che-actually, I couldn't tell. The light-blue sweater she wore was too bulky. But with how perfect the rest of her was, it was fair to assume she was hiding a nice rack of sleeper boobs under there.
Wow, dude, do you have a shopping list or something? Male? Check. Totally freaking moron? Check. Makeing me sick to my stomach? Check. Pedophile vibes? Right on target, check.
I'm sorry, could you be any more sleezy. I can see his future now. One of those 30/40year old hound dog looking guys with a huge beer gut that hasn't showered in months and reaks of alcohol and cigeretts while hitting on teen girls. Excuse me while I vomit.
AND. IT. GETS. WORSE.
"Perky pooper? Check."
Are you freaking serious. Who the hell says that? Ugh dude, nasty.
And there is MORE, but I won't flood this review with more of the gross quotes. Because it is pointless. It was a waste of my time, I'm not going to post them and waste YOUR time to reading them.
"I was impressed by a pastor using the word 'sack'."
Are you 12 years old? Grow up. Good gah.
And can we take a moment to talk about the whole "seeing red" thing over a girl he is not dating, a girl who is not old enough for him to even LEGALLY date. This just screams "You are mine and mine alone and if you try to leave, I will kill you." kind of thing. Stalker alert. I repeat. Stalker alert.
Aaaand because he got rejected he just decides to boohoo and become a drug dealer. Nice. I drew the line here. It's getting to stupid, I had to stop reading.
This book is a joke and honestly this book makes me think the author is a real pig, especilly if he keeps on and on and on about tits, hard ons, poopers, boners, and more tits.
I would never in a million years recommend this trash.
This book is great bathroom material.....you know.....for our "perky poopers".
***Added note: I wrote this review as I went through the book because, how could I not. It does mention that his age is 18 waaaaaay later in the story, it still doesn't make it right for him to hit on a girl who is underage and still in school
There is so much wrong with this book and it disgusts me. The writing is horrible, he talks in slang a good bit and lets face it, that's just not good grammar. Lol The main character seems to whine NON FREAKING STOP!!! Okay, we get it, you are a low life who flunked out and you took a job in Alaska in the middle of nowhere. Also, lying to your parents, who think you are still at college, so they can't help you even if you needed it. So who's fault is it really? YOURS!! So stop looking down your nose at all these other people and how they live just because you haven't been there. You ain't so high and mighty.
And let me just say, this book belittles women and talks so horrible about them. If I wanted to keep hearing about tits, I would watch a porno or read smut.
Lets touch down on some real trouble, shall we. I mean, the REAL deal breakers.
Is there any certain reason you are trying to make the receptionist sound slow/stupid? Unable to make a complete total sentence?
"You go see Taylor Sifsof. Hold on."
"Taylor in classroom studying while rest of students at lunch. You go to classroom. Room 107, just around corner."
What really made me sick with this book was the fact, he is grown, and suppose to be in college. But he has to report on a high schooler winning a spelling bee. The second he walks in to the school, he is wondering what the girl looks like. I'm sorry, does it matter? You are grown, she is still in school. Oh but it gets so much worse! He meets her and the total disgusting man slob comes out.
Ho. Lee. Shit.
Standing there might have been the hottest girl I'd seen. Ever. Anywhere on TV, in person, in a magazine, in a movie, on a billboard. My ding dong went from zero to boner faster than a car's airbag can deploy. I untucked my red flannel shirt to hide it.
Really dude? That is just freaking nasty! Also, can we say JAILBAIT! This guy is making me sick to my stomach. But wait! THERE IS MORE!
The girl looked exotic. I couoldn't pinpoint her lineage. Whatever she was, it amounted to a luxious mishmash of every female physical characteristic I held dear. Tall? Check. Long, straight blond hair, Check. Olive skin? Check. Pouty lips? Check. Hint of buttchin? Check. Big bombs? Che-actually, I couldn't tell. The light-blue sweater she wore was too bulky. But with how perfect the rest of her was, it was fair to assume she was hiding a nice rack of sleeper boobs under there.
Wow, dude, do you have a shopping list or something? Male? Check. Totally freaking moron? Check. Makeing me sick to my stomach? Check. Pedophile vibes? Right on target, check.
I'm sorry, could you be any more sleezy. I can see his future now. One of those 30/40year old hound dog looking guys with a huge beer gut that hasn't showered in months and reaks of alcohol and cigeretts while hitting on teen girls. Excuse me while I vomit.
AND. IT. GETS. WORSE.
"Perky pooper? Check."
Are you freaking serious. Who the hell says that? Ugh dude, nasty.
And there is MORE, but I won't flood this review with more of the gross quotes. Because it is pointless. It was a waste of my time, I'm not going to post them and waste YOUR time to reading them.
"I was impressed by a pastor using the word 'sack'."
Are you 12 years old? Grow up. Good gah.
And can we take a moment to talk about the whole "seeing red" thing over a girl he is not dating, a girl who is not old enough for him to even LEGALLY date. This just screams "You are mine and mine alone and if you try to leave, I will kill you." kind of thing. Stalker alert. I repeat. Stalker alert.
Aaaand because he got rejected he just decides to boohoo and become a drug dealer. Nice. I drew the line here. It's getting to stupid, I had to stop reading.
This book is a joke and honestly this book makes me think the author is a real pig, especilly if he keeps on and on and on about tits, hard ons, poopers, boners, and more tits.
I would never in a million years recommend this trash.
This book is great bathroom material.....you know.....for our "perky poopers".
***Added note: I wrote this review as I went through the book because, how could I not. It does mention that his age is 18 waaaaaay later in the story, it still doesn't make it right for him to hit on a girl who is underage and still in school
June 6, 2018
Disclaimer: I DNF'd this one at the 200 page mark.
This is a bit of a disappointment for me, since, like other readers, I had been expecting a survivalist/adventure type story. (The blurb on the back is pretty vague, but it grabbed me.) A college kid doing 'penance' for his reckless behavior, in a remote Alaskan town, nonetheless? The premise is interesting, but the book seems to deliver on a totally different plot line; which I found repetitive and (at times) immature/vulgar. The first few chapters are entertaining enough, but once our MC Eddie strikes up a friendship with the girl Taylor, things start to derail. Eddie is constantly wanting to "get to know her," and freaks out when she declines hanging out with him, early on. Why? Because "she's busy for the next few weeks". In Eddie's mind, it's extremely suspect that someone would be busy for that amount of time...and he says as much: "A few days, sure - but who the hell is busy for a few weeks at a time?"
Um...a lot of people. Sounds pretty usual to me, maybe Eddie just has too much time on his hands.
Anyway, throw in many obnoxiously-immature-and-strange innuendos and sexual comments, and we've got most of the side-plot. And I get it, boys can be immature, and over-the-top, but Eddie doesn't come off as charming, or endearing to me...at all. I found him a difficult character to like, let alone sympathize with. He failed out of his first semester of college because "most of [his] classes began at 8 or 9am, but none of the parties ended until 4am." Yikes. Of course, I understand that we don't get a full picture of what happened then, because that's not really what the book is about; but still. Red flag.
And I haven't even gotten to the part about the drugs, yet. (No, not hardcore drugs like meth or anything; but weed.) Again, weed has become a big part of our culture today; and I'd venture to say it's pretty commonplace now. I have little desire to smoke it (or anything for that matter) in real life as it just doesn't appeal to me, but despite my preference for drug-free books, weed and tobacco don't bother me, in the context of a story. It's not that part I really have a problem with - it's the fact that "Sucktown, AK", devolves into a drug-smuggling operation. Seriously, like packs-of-weed-up-Eddie's-butt, smuggling. Which maybe is supposed to be an element of dark humor, but I just didn't see the appeal. (Again, maybe because I'm not all that familiar with drug-smuggling beyond the very basics.) It's supposed to be ironic: the once-well-off college kid who has banished himself to the snowy tundra has turned to drug dealing to make money...but I simply just didn't find it entertaining.
So I guess that's where my biggest problem with this book is. Things happen, and the characters are supposed to be edgy and ironic and fun, but they aren't; and I just ended up losing interest. The rather demeaning/simple portrayal of women wasn't for me, either; as well as Eddie's frequent sexual thoughts and SUPER creative plays on "Sucktown". Suckville, Sucktown, Suckport...we get it, you don't like Alaska. Are you really that hard-up for insults? The most you can say about Alaska is that it sucks? (Again please note that I did not finish this book.) Okay, then.
Eddie is an 18 year old who thinks more like a 12 year old; and his inner monologue makes that painfully apparent.
Next, please!
Note: The quotes I have referenced are paraphrased, since I don't have the book in front of me.
This is a bit of a disappointment for me, since, like other readers, I had been expecting a survivalist/adventure type story. (The blurb on the back is pretty vague, but it grabbed me.) A college kid doing 'penance' for his reckless behavior, in a remote Alaskan town, nonetheless? The premise is interesting, but the book seems to deliver on a totally different plot line; which I found repetitive and (at times) immature/vulgar. The first few chapters are entertaining enough, but once our MC Eddie strikes up a friendship with the girl Taylor, things start to derail. Eddie is constantly wanting to "get to know her," and freaks out when she declines hanging out with him, early on. Why? Because "she's busy for the next few weeks". In Eddie's mind, it's extremely suspect that someone would be busy for that amount of time...and he says as much: "A few days, sure - but who the hell is busy for a few weeks at a time?"
Um...a lot of people. Sounds pretty usual to me, maybe Eddie just has too much time on his hands.
Anyway, throw in many obnoxiously-immature-and-strange innuendos and sexual comments, and we've got most of the side-plot. And I get it, boys can be immature, and over-the-top, but Eddie doesn't come off as charming, or endearing to me...at all. I found him a difficult character to like, let alone sympathize with. He failed out of his first semester of college because "most of [his] classes began at 8 or 9am, but none of the parties ended until 4am." Yikes. Of course, I understand that we don't get a full picture of what happened then, because that's not really what the book is about; but still. Red flag.
And I haven't even gotten to the part about the drugs, yet. (No, not hardcore drugs like meth or anything; but weed.) Again, weed has become a big part of our culture today; and I'd venture to say it's pretty commonplace now. I have little desire to smoke it (or anything for that matter) in real life as it just doesn't appeal to me, but despite my preference for drug-free books, weed and tobacco don't bother me, in the context of a story. It's not that part I really have a problem with - it's the fact that "Sucktown, AK", devolves into a drug-smuggling operation. Seriously, like packs-of-weed-up-Eddie's-butt, smuggling. Which maybe is supposed to be an element of dark humor, but I just didn't see the appeal. (Again, maybe because I'm not all that familiar with drug-smuggling beyond the very basics.) It's supposed to be ironic: the once-well-off college kid who has banished himself to the snowy tundra has turned to drug dealing to make money...but I simply just didn't find it entertaining.
So I guess that's where my biggest problem with this book is. Things happen, and the characters are supposed to be edgy and ironic and fun, but they aren't; and I just ended up losing interest. The rather demeaning/simple portrayal of women wasn't for me, either; as well as Eddie's frequent sexual thoughts and SUPER creative plays on "Sucktown". Suckville, Sucktown, Suckport...we get it, you don't like Alaska. Are you really that hard-up for insults? The most you can say about Alaska is that it sucks? (Again please note that I did not finish this book.) Okay, then.
Eddie is an 18 year old who thinks more like a 12 year old; and his inner monologue makes that painfully apparent.
Next, please!
Note: The quotes I have referenced are paraphrased, since I don't have the book in front of me.
January 3, 2018
If you expect to read a more "grown up" version of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet when you open this book, you'll be wrong. Instead, you'll be opening a read that is much, much better with unexpected surprises and hilarity.
Eddie has flunked out of college and doesn't want to tell his dad. Eddie also knows that he wants to prove to the administrators at his college that he CAN do the work; so he seeks a way in which to prove it to them.
He finds his chance in Kusko, Alaska, where he's hired as a writer for the newspaper. Kusko is beyond remote; we Wisconsinites have areas of the state that are remote but nothing like Kusko. There are no roads into or out of Kusco. You fly to it in a bush plane. Got the idea?
Eddie enjoys the novelty of Alaska at first but then he comes to see the poverty and lack of opportunity in the town which soon wears on him. He wants out--particularly if the girl he has his eyes on doesn't reciprocate his feelings. But to transport his jeep back to Anchorage is going to cost WAY more than anything he'll be able to save. So, he needs another income.
How about selling dope for the dealer next door? Sounds as good as anything to Eddie who is desperate to leave. There's one drug dealer by the name of Bronco, however, who is not thrilled to have Eddie invading his territory and this is one drug dealer Eddie wants to avoid. Bronco was known to have tied a man to a pole in grizzly country when the bears were preparing for hibernation.
But, Eddie isn't able to avoid Bronco. And the results are terrifying--and funny!
Between the hilarious descriptions of the locals, the harrowing experiences with sleds and sled dogs, and encounters with drug dealers, I could not put down this book. It's Northern Exposure and Breaking Bad in one book.
I highly recommend Sucktown, Alaska.
Eddie has flunked out of college and doesn't want to tell his dad. Eddie also knows that he wants to prove to the administrators at his college that he CAN do the work; so he seeks a way in which to prove it to them.
He finds his chance in Kusko, Alaska, where he's hired as a writer for the newspaper. Kusko is beyond remote; we Wisconsinites have areas of the state that are remote but nothing like Kusko. There are no roads into or out of Kusco. You fly to it in a bush plane. Got the idea?
Eddie enjoys the novelty of Alaska at first but then he comes to see the poverty and lack of opportunity in the town which soon wears on him. He wants out--particularly if the girl he has his eyes on doesn't reciprocate his feelings. But to transport his jeep back to Anchorage is going to cost WAY more than anything he'll be able to save. So, he needs another income.
How about selling dope for the dealer next door? Sounds as good as anything to Eddie who is desperate to leave. There's one drug dealer by the name of Bronco, however, who is not thrilled to have Eddie invading his territory and this is one drug dealer Eddie wants to avoid. Bronco was known to have tied a man to a pole in grizzly country when the bears were preparing for hibernation.
But, Eddie isn't able to avoid Bronco. And the results are terrifying--and funny!
Between the hilarious descriptions of the locals, the harrowing experiences with sleds and sled dogs, and encounters with drug dealers, I could not put down this book. It's Northern Exposure and Breaking Bad in one book.
I highly recommend Sucktown, Alaska.
May 4, 2017
When I first pulled this book from my towering stack of potential reads, I was pretty excited to start it. The cover is great, the title is great, and I know very little about daily life in those remote areas of Alaska so I found myself looking forward to learning about them. The parts of this novel dealing with life in Alaska were great and I respect and appreciate Craig Dirkes' experience and knowledge of that subject. Unfortunately, though, I hated Eddie. Maybe I'm just not the intended audience. Maybe all 18 year old boys are just like Eddie. Regardless, I found his thoughts about Taylor to be disappointing - she's the smartest girl he'd ever met but he hardly acknowledges that, thinking only about her body. I also hated Eddie's marijuana scheme. What a privileged life he must have led if he didn't understand the impact of spreading drugs around these small, remote towns where people are barely surviving BEFORE they spend what little money they have on weed. THEN, on top of all that, he got two dogs killed like an idiot. Even his "redemption" at the end of the novel doesn't make me feel better about the deaths of those dogs, especially poor, sweet Joanie. I waited a week between finishing the book and writing this review, and I'm STILL upset about Joanie. I realize Dirkes' needed a sufficiently dumb kid to humble and redeem him at the end of the story, but I just hated Eddie too much by that point. I didn't buy his redemption and unfortunately I didn't feel invested in his character enough to be glad he'd learned a big life lesson. When I finished the novel, I just thought, "what a dumb kid. What a disappointing read."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2024
Being the first fiction book I’ve read in a while, I was easily impressed at first with the descriptions and humor I missed from other books, but the main character, Eddie, is a real asshole and the plot is all over the place. The book goes like this, more of less: he moves from his cushy college party house in Anchorage after being kicked out for being a partyhound and not passing. He moves to Kusko, the small village in Alaska, to redeem himself and his journalism major as a report at the Patriot, a newspaper for the YK Delta. He meets a highschool girl, Taylor, and instantly starts drooling over in his head. He uses the phrase “sleeper boobs” to describe her chest, which I thought was funny at first but it gives off a weird vibe. “Perky pooper”? Now that’s next level weird humor… He gets butthurt after finding out the hot Taylor he’s pining over isn’t into him starts selling weed to get the hell out of there, but his dad calls him on his last delivery. Basically, his dad didn’t know he dropped out of UAA, let alone was living in a whole nother town, but found out after a few slip-ups from Eddie. Eddie feels shameful and decides to… quit selling weed, go straight, and even work on Taylor some more. BUT, in the last few chapters Eddie makes the dumbass decision to sell like 5 ounces of Finn’s weed in the villages Finn TOLD HIM NOT TO SELL IN, getting 2 of the sled dogs killed and the weed stolen, plus Eddie in jail. And even after all that, him and Taylor get together and the worst last line was ever made: “I took off my mitten and started flicking her off, but she swatted my hand away before I could finish.” It could’ve been funny, but it wasn’t.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2017
Overall, it was a good book for its intended audience. Good storyline but definitely a boy book. Since this covers a large portion of my reluctant readers, this is what I'm always looking for more of. It's also what I tend to gravitate towards when I read YA lit. I liked the messages and see the decision making & struggles as something my students can relate to. Maybe a little too much "guy talk" for me but I think that's what guys can relate to when they read. I do see the length as a possible struggle for some of my students but I think I can guide them to stick with it by giving them some teasers!! My media specialist spoiled my reading department so we already have several copies for our classrooms this fall! I'm looking forward to future books by Craig Dirkes, who I'm fortunate to call my childhood friend. This book also reinforced my need to get my butt to Alaska!! It's been on my bucket travel list forever!
July 18, 2017
After failing out of college, Eddie Ashford snags a job as a reporter for a small newspaper in rural Alaska. Determined to gain the life experience needed to reapply to school, Eddie starts off with a positive attitude. When he goes off the rails, though, Eddie makes a snap decision that may cost him everything.
I understand that the author drew from his own experiences in Alaska, but the remainder of the story seems to stem from the many stereotypes and prejudices regarding Alaskan citizens. It is almost as though the author had a list of behaviors that lower 48 residents feel are typical for those in rural Alaska and checked each one off as he put them in the book. Eddie starts the book as a down-on-his-luck kid, but really did not learn much from his mistakes. In the end, he seemed to care more about the girl than about his actions. I did not find Eddie particularly likeable, nor was the story compelling enough for me to recommend Sucktown, Alaska to other readers.
I understand that the author drew from his own experiences in Alaska, but the remainder of the story seems to stem from the many stereotypes and prejudices regarding Alaskan citizens. It is almost as though the author had a list of behaviors that lower 48 residents feel are typical for those in rural Alaska and checked each one off as he put them in the book. Eddie starts the book as a down-on-his-luck kid, but really did not learn much from his mistakes. In the end, he seemed to care more about the girl than about his actions. I did not find Eddie particularly likeable, nor was the story compelling enough for me to recommend Sucktown, Alaska to other readers.
September 29, 2017
Sucktown, Alaska by Craig Dirkes is a twisting turning novel with a lot of hidden secrets. The novel takes you to a rural Alaskan village called Kusko.The story is told through the eyes of Eddie who is a college student trying to get his life back on track after flunking his freshman year. Craig Dirkes helps reader understand that when you make a mistake, it is twice as hard to get back on track. Craig Dirkes keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole book. He draw you into the eyes of a college student desperate to get his life back on track. Readers who love action packed books that keep you guessing what's around the next corner will love this book. This book has action packed moments where your heart is racing and you don’t know what is going to happen next. Sucktown, Alaska takes from remote to remote village on a wild ride.
October 29, 2017
3.5 stars.
This is a bizarre book to review. On one hand, the unique setting and quippy and thoughtful narrator, drew me in quickly. I swallowed the first 100 pages in 90 minutes.
However, I felt like the middle third of the plot was pretty sluggish. It didn't pack the punch that I was hoping for and I started wishing for Dirkes to get to the point.
The ending redeemed the book in a few ways, the last 60 pages were pretty great, albeit a little too neatly tied, but exciting nonetheless.
I didn't buy the romantic relationship at all. It felt unnecessary and sloppy, but the loyalty and friendship between the men in the book and the lessons learned about the Alaskan landscape were satisfying.
This is a bizarre book to review. On one hand, the unique setting and quippy and thoughtful narrator, drew me in quickly. I swallowed the first 100 pages in 90 minutes.
However, I felt like the middle third of the plot was pretty sluggish. It didn't pack the punch that I was hoping for and I started wishing for Dirkes to get to the point.
The ending redeemed the book in a few ways, the last 60 pages were pretty great, albeit a little too neatly tied, but exciting nonetheless.
I didn't buy the romantic relationship at all. It felt unnecessary and sloppy, but the loyalty and friendship between the men in the book and the lessons learned about the Alaskan landscape were satisfying.
December 2, 2016
Eighteen year old Eddie has flunked college, but is determines to work his way back by proving himself in the far reaches of Alaska. He soon discovers that his job as a reporter lacks the expected glamour. With drugs, violence, hot girls, and a dog sled, Eddie discovers that a single impulse often leads to monumental stupidity. Dirkland's coming of age adventure captures the difficulty of becoming a man and facing your mistakes. Recommended for collections; especially teen boys and reluctant readers.
May 23, 2017
Maybe I'm not into YA as much as I used to be, but I got tired of this book pretty quickly. I laughed and rolled my eyes playfully when the words "perky pooper" came along to describe a girl's butt. However, by the time the main character described a shirt acting as a "megaphone for her boobies " (the her being the main character's interest), I was done. Without that, the story is okay. I just couldn't finish it. Sorry.
November 2, 2017
This was a coming of age story that happened to be in Alaska, but it isn't an adventure story. I found the main character very unlikable. I thought his growth at the end of the book was too sudden and not realistic. There is swearing, drinking and drugs in the book, but they are all appropriate to the book. It wasn't a remarkable book for me, but I'm hoping that it is for teen boys in my library.
July 25, 2017
I really liked this one. Good drama, and characters I wish I could check up on. Interesting setting and conflicts. While some of the boy language is odd (I have never heard the word honkerburgers), the rest seemed pretty standard for 18 year old boys. A number of readers complain about the boner talk, and I assume they don't know any teenaged boys.
June 26, 2017
An OK read that could have been an awesome one. Given to the right boy it would be enjoyed. Lots of boobie references about his crush but really nothing comes of his fantasies. I just wish it had lived up to the story line it would have been an excellent read if it had.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews