didn't read the guardian article. waded through the ones hex posted.
have read a boak of k.hale's.
i didn'tbuy it,read it in twentyfive minutes while i was waiting at a shopping centre.
it was not the book mentioned though.
three things.
were i to take almost eight months to read a book, as did the reviewer,
i would not really follow the thread of the story and lose the nuances of association, making inferences that weren't there. much as when we haven't seen a movie in a while we cannot remember the plot details but fill them in ourselves, and often faultily.
the emotional impact of the story is often exaggerated or lost over time.
were i to recieve a review from someone that used profanity instead of adjectives i would instantly deminish the worth and even impact of said review, as emanating from a person with small facilty for the english language, and therefore no real value from a balanced critical perspective. i think the reviewer saying screw this book, (in other choice words used) and illustrating his or her point with a video of elmo committing suicide, would fall under this.
thirdly, were it true that the reviewer felt it necessary to travel to my hometown and interview my nieghbours, taking photos, to be able to post online derogatory comments, i would take it somewhat amiss,being made a social pariah in my place of residence.
but as my dad told me when i was ten;
there are many wars out there, but none of us can win all of them. you cannot control other peoples actions. you can only condem or condone them and ignorant behavior is best met with dignified silence.
lastly i will comment upon the book i did read. it wasn't bad. a little mickey spillane for the genre and not something that i would add to my library, but i am not its intended audience. while it was not wearing lace gloves, neither was it untrue to the current situations facing young adults today. enough said.
