Boy21 in Ask Matthew Quick!

Nov 30, 2022 Samantha Kolber rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I resisted reading this for so long because I thought it was just a basketball book. Boy was I wrong. Matthew Quick has really hit it out of the park (sorry to mix sports metaphors) with this book. I’m literally bawling my eyes out. Everyone is fragile. Everything can change in an instant. But you find the one thing to be your calming presence and you hope and dream and find your place in the big giant universe. Fucking hell I can’t believe how much I love this book.

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Feb 22, 2012 Evan rated it it was amazing

Matthew Quick's prior novels focus on damaged characters that end up relying on their network of friends and family to overcome emotional as well as practical problems. Be it his adult debut The Silver Linings Playbook: A Novel (soon to be a major motion picture directed by David O. Russell and starring Bradley Cooper) or his Young Adult debut Sorta Like a Rock Star, Quick crafts unique voices that carry readers through tribulations.

It is important to understand this -- despite what you may beli Matthew Quick's prior novels focus on damaged characters that end up relying on their network of friends and family to overcome emotional as well as practical problems. Be it his adult debut The Silver Linings Playbook: A Novel (soon to be a major motion picture directed by David O. Russell and starring Bradley Cooper) or his Young Adult debut Sorta Like a Rock Star, Quick crafts unique voices that carry readers through tribulations.

It is important to understand this -- despite what you may believe you prefer in a good book (plot, romance, drama, humor) none of it matters if the VOICE doesn't work. If the narrator irritates you or lies to you or withholds information without reason, you may become frustrated. If you understand what the narrator cares about -- even if they keep secrets -- you will be engaged.

In Boy21, Quick continues his tradition of troubled characters with strong voices. A self-professed 'minimal speaker' (he literally responds with nods and gestures early on, but does speak), main character Finley is harboring a tragedy that occurred before the first page of the novel. He loses himself in the rituals of basketball and his loving, true relationship with Erin. We know from page one what and who he cares about, and it's one of the prime rules of fiction: show the reader what the character cares about and the reader will care, too.

Set in the fictional town of Belmont -- a blue collar Philly suburb populated by Irish and African Americans -- Finley has no sense of the possibilities of the world. Basketball, family, Erin -- these are the things that matter. Or, simply the things that exist and do not wound.

Quick then introduces the brilliant, fascinating titular character: Boy21. The setup involves Finley being asked to mentor Boy21 as he transitions from a well-to-do lifestyle in California after a tragedy of his own, but doing so risks Finley's basketball season and his relationship with Erin. Because Boy21 believes something crazy. About outer space. I can't give more away without truly ruining some of the first few scenes of Boy21's appearance in the novel -- but it is hilarious and nearly surreal.

To be clear: this is not a sports book. It's easy to say but needs to be stressed since reading about sports can be a dull experience for non-sports fans. As with The Silver Linings Playbook (where football dominates the main character's mind but not the plot), basketball here is part of the landscape and experience of the characters. It's important to them, but Quick isn't forcing us to read about 4 periods of HS basketball. I admire Quick's ability to describe sports in a way that makes fans and non-fans understand the true importance of the activities. It's not about whether Finley scores a winning shot or succeeds in practice. It's about Finley's need for a ritual to ensure he does not crumble beneath the stress of life, his town, and his tragedy.

The other strength in this and Quick's other novels is the spikes of humor. While not a comedy, plenty of images and dialogue exchanges had me laughing out loud. Like this: HA ha! or ha HA! or HAHA! While you are not asked to laugh at the mental health issues the characters suffer from, you are reminded through the humor that even the troubled, tragic people in this world exist on a day-to-day level. They can be depressed but smile; they can be sad but make a joke.

If you're already a fan of Quick's work -- even if you've only read Silver Linings -- this novel will definitely satisfy you. Adult readers have nothing to fear as there's a complexity to the structure of the novel that makes the book rewarding beyond the story (I mention this for people who might think Quick writes a simpler type of fiction for YA readers -- he doesn't.)

If you're new to Quick, you cannot go wrong by starting with Boy21 -- there's humor and truth and love and conversations that have to be re-read to be appreciated. I suspect lots of readers will start here and happily jump to Silver Linings or Sorta Like a Rock Star. Huzzah! ...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Tiffany B rated it really liked it

http://alotofreadingandalittlewriting...

This was my second Matthew Quick novel; the first of his teen novels. I'll start out by saying that I don't like teen novels. I stopped reading them when I was about 12. I always seemed to be one step ahead of what was written for my age group (being the snobby reader I was as a child). Now that I am an adult, I tend to stick with adult novels. I am not a teenager and don't understand that world as well as I did when I was one. I take that back, I never un http://alotofreadingandalittlewriting...

This was my second Matthew Quick novel; the first of his teen novels. I'll start out by saying that I don't like teen novels. I stopped reading them when I was about 12. I always seemed to be one step ahead of what was written for my age group (being the snobby reader I was as a child). Now that I am an adult, I tend to stick with adult novels. I am not a teenager and don't understand that world as well as I did when I was one. I take that back, I never understood that world. That being said, I will always make off a star or two when it written for someone that is younger than me. While the novel may be great, as an adult I did not enjoy it as much as I feel I could have. I realize this is not the authors fault since not all novels can be written specifically for me, bu it's my blog therefore my rules. :)

Now that we have established some rules, I loved this novel. It starts out with a mystery; a kid who has a troubled past but won't talk about it. Growing up in a very rough neighborhood, Finley is one of very few white kids around. He keeps to himself, except for his girlfriend, and even than he's a "minimalist talker". While not the best at basketball, he works very hard to keep his starting position. He dreams of the day he can bail on this crime-riddled town with his girlfriend and never look back. Then his coach adds a complication.

Just before his senior year, his coach asks a favor of him. He wants him to befriend a new student. The new student's father was friends with the coach and had moved to LA where he was quite successful. After he and his wife were murdered, their son needed to get away and chose to stay with his grandparents. As a phenomenal basketball star, he changed his name and came to the small town.

Finely doesn't think much of this until he finally meets the boy. The boy is Boy21, an extraterrestrial. Or at least that's what he tells Finley.

Now Finley must try to help this kid cope with his tragic past and his new persona in a school where Finley himself doesn't fit in. Oh yeah, and Boy21 plays the same position as him. If he succeeds in helping Boy21, he will lose his starting position and be on the bench.

Wow! What a unique novel filled with unique characters. Once again, Quick enters the world of mental issues. Both Finley and Boy21 live with tragic pasts that they can't seem to face. Each chooses a different coping mechanism. While totally different, the two boys have an incredible amount in common.

Quick's story and characters were captivating. While unique, I found the characters easy to relate to. He spun a compelling tale, that was once again, hard to put down. I definitely recommend this novel! ...more

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