Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

by Andrew Smith

Mass Market Paperback

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Andrew^Smith

others:
Andrew2^Smith : Fiction, Young Adult
Andrew3^Smith : GR Author Historical Fiction, Literature
Andrew4^Smith : wrote Dr Who
Andrew5^Smith : Scottish surgeon, explorer, ethnologist and zoologist (1797-1872)
Andrew6^Smith : GR Author, Fiction & Nonfiction
Andrew7^Smith : Literature & Fiction, Horror, Gothic
Andrew8^Smith : Philosophy
Andrew9^Smith : GR Author, Fiction
Andrew10^Smith : GR Author, Fiction
Andrew11^Smith : Children's book illustrator
Andrew12^Smith: GR Author
Andrew13^Smith: Sports
Andrew14^Smith: IT
Andrew15^Smith: South Africa, Zoology
Andrew16^Smith: Veterinary, Canada
Andrew17^Smith: Cities
Andrew18^Smith: Business
Andrew19^Smith: Comics
Andrew20^Smith: Stroke
Andrew21^Smith: GR Author, Children's books
Andrew22^Smith: "Haunted historian" (NZ)

Reviews

[Anna]

Does any YA novel from 2014 have a more refreshing and cunty tagline than "16 year old Iowan caught in reluctant throuple accidentally unleashes the apocalypse after getting queerbashed"?

God, what a premise. Against a backdrop of suburbia turned theater for the apocalypse and an underlying thread of bad science and capitalist rot, Austin Szerba wrestles with his own voracious appetites: he is obsessively, selfishly in love with both his girlfriend and his best friend, and he is horny 24/7.

I have to say for the first half I was GRIPPED. Smith's writing is concise, jolting, often circular. Definitely more of the hold-a-teenage-boy's-attention variety than I'm used to, but with enough specificity and wit to keep even me, whose patience with YA has waned considerably in my old age, engaged.

The thematic parallels Smith draws between his human cast and the insectoid Unstoppable Soldiers are obvious: both exist to fuck and eat. Ultimately, the novel concludes, what makes us better than our baser instincts, what separates us from them, will sound familiar: bravery, friendship, history, music, art, love.

But this leads me to another conclusion, one I’m not sure Smith posed intentionally. If the difference between human and animal is defined in terms of the transcendental, what does that say about Austin’s feelings for Robby and Shan? The two are not rendered equally. Robby Brees is rounded, dynamic, so tenderly wrought that I also am in love with him now. In contrast, Shan is one-dimensional, underutilized, and by about the 50% mark onward reduced to object of Austin’s shallow affections and receptacle of his sperm. We are told she has boobs and hair. We are told Austin loves her, but I don’t know why. His attraction to her is surface-level, crass, more fulfilling of a biological itch than based in anything meaningful. Poor Shan Collins, I do not envy you or your teenage bunker pregnancy.

So maybe the point is that this is an intentional dichotomy. Maybe Austin’s feelings for Robby are more real, more transcending than his feelings for Shan. But I don’t think this is the case. In fact, this whole leg of the premise, Austin's essential question, remains answered. What does he do about his feelings for Robby and Shan? Nothing. The ending of the book suggests they remain in their Austin-centric uncomfortable throuple in perpetuity.

Oh, well. Four stars I guess.

[Kylah Lopes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was lowkey fire. Austin was overly horny the whole time which was kind of annoying but like I get it, teenage boy syndrome it’s okay. The writing was silly and whimsical, I enjoyed it.

I liked reading about Robby the most, I thought he was a good guy, he was a very realistic character and there was just something about him that I enjoyed whenever he was in a chapter. I liked Shann too, being the only girl. I just know she was pretty 🙏 bless. Also I liked how she actually had an attitude and wasn’t the usual “omgggg I’m a girl 🥺” female protagonist made just to be with Austin.

The revelation that they had to use Robby’s blood to shoot at the grasshoppers because his blood created them was cool. It made a lot of sense and I liked how he was never able to be attacked by them because they recognize him as their creator.

It was also fairly graphic in its descriptions, which is something I always enjoy in a thriller / horror book. Makes it feel more eerie and real. Hope the sequel is fire too, even if it’s more about Shann and Austin’s kids.