Ten Thousand Saints in Around the World in 80 Books

Jul 28, 2011 Tony rated it liked it

Shelves: novels

I should admit right up front that I tend not to read "hot" new fiction until a few years after its published, partly because I already have plenty of stacks of unread books in my house, and partly because I feel like that gives it time to cool down, and I'll have more data (ie. friends' opinions) to draw upon before decided to commit to reading it. However, this debut was an exception -- mainly because so many people were telling me that the late-'80s iteration of the straight-edge hardcore sub I should admit right up front that I tend not to read "hot" new fiction until a few years after its published, partly because I already have plenty of stacks of unread books in my house, and partly because I feel like that gives it time to cool down, and I'll have more data (ie. friends' opinions) to draw upon before decided to commit to reading it. However, this debut was an exception -- mainly because so many people were telling me that the late-'80s iteration of the straight-edge hardcore subculture that I was a part of plays a huge role in the plot. Now, I know that's a pretty weak reason to pick up a book, but what can I say -- curiosity got the better of me. I was deeply into that scene from 1987-91, and though I experienced mainly down in D.C. (RIP, Safari Club), I drove up to shows at the Anthrax, and the Ritz, and knew plenty of people who were bands, started record labels, did 'zines, etc. and 25 years later, I remain one of the few from that time who's still straight edge.

What I found was not untypical of a first novel: a somewhat haphazard, awkwardly paced and plotted story that crams in way too much and feels like it needs another few drafts to reach a finished, polished state. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of good writing and good storytelling, but it's side-by-side (ha ha, inside joke to my straight edge brethren) with bad writing, soap opera plot developments, clunky transitions, and even a feel-good coda. The book starts extremely strongly, under some high-school bleachers in Burlington, Vermont (for some reason, recast as "Lintonburg" -- why bother?), where we meet Jude and Teddy, two teenage misfits whose main ambition in life is getting chemically stimulated. A visit from Jude's not-quite stepsister from Manhattan (with the unfortunately transparent last name "Urbanski" -- I mean, come on!) is the catalyst for tragedy and change, as Teddy dies and Jude moves to New York.

It it Jude's journey that leads us through the book, as he gets to know his father, who has been largely absent from his life. He also falls in with Teddy's older brother, who is a fixture of the burgeoning New York City hardcore scene, with his straight-edge band Army of One. (Note: those who would like to read more about this subculture should check out All Ages, a book of interviews that includes a number of people from that scene, or the anthology Sober Living for Revolution -- unfortunately the two more academic ethnographies of the subculture are kind of weak. And if you want to hear a sampling of the music, start with the New York City Hardcore compilation from 1988, and go from there.) Anyway, the straight edge stuff is relevant to the story because Jude's parents are both aging hippies who, in different ways, make their living from the pot trade, and his stepsister is a stereotypically spoiled rich Manhattan brat with access to lots of drugs, and in the straight edge scene, he finds a path to a more meaningful life in the wake of the death of his best friend. This is a bit overdone (does it really have to be both parents who make a living off weed, can't it be a little more nuanced than that?), but more or less works.

The reason the book didn't work for me is that the author also brings in all kinds of other stuff, such a teen pregnancy and resulting soap opera antics, AIDS, fetal alcohol syndrome, an attempted portrait of the late '80s pre-gentrified Lower East Side, including the characters direct involvement with the real-life Tompkins Square riot, and most of all, a large subplot involving concealed homosexuality. (The homosexuality angle had the potential to be interesting within the context of the characters involved, but the author oddly muddies the waters by suggesting multiple times that the straight edge subculture was some form of mask for latent homosexuality.) It's just too much stuff, too many themes, and the author only has partial control over it. There are characters who have some great moments here and there (for example, Jude's mother's ineffectualness as a parent), but they're too few and far between, and some characters whose voices are too muted. I ultimately feel like it all would have worked better as a series of separate or linked short stories, with maybe one novella devoted to Jude. ...more

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Jul 07, 2013 Lara rated it it was amazing

Amazing novel- so much more than I expected even after reading so many good reviews. The first chapter is the best depiction of the inner and outer lives of teenagers that I have ever read.

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Jul 16, 2012 Sam rated it it was ok

Shelves: 1-contemp-literary, young-person-protag, read-2012, reviewed

Before I read Ten Thousand Saints, I had no idea that such a thing as straight edge punk existed. And for that alone, it's earned its two stars. But alas,I can't give it anything higher than that because halfway into the novel, I was bored out of my mind. I didn't care about what happened to the characters. It became a chore to finish, which was a shame since it had a promising premise. ...more

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