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The Queerling
Preston Nesbitt is a 16-year-old "memory prodigy," with a rare form of Asperger's Syndrome, confined to a Portland, Oregon mental hospital for refusing to admit his participation in a viral YouTube video--showing him being struck by a car that appears to pass through...
258 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 29, 2013
The Queerling came to me through a Goodreads giveaway. It appealed to me because it is written in the form of a journal and the main character is in a mental hospital. I guess my struggle with depression and anxiety had a lot to do with it.
Before I go into my personal feelings about The Queerling let me say that this book is well written and edited. I found only two errors. The author has a healthy command of the writing skills required to produce quality work. That being said, I can only admit to a tepid reaction to the story and plot.
Preston is an interesting character, annoying, but interesting. However, his language skills made it difficult to keep up with him. My vocabulary is sufficient to understand most books and conversations, but this character made me feel like an elementary student trying to understand physics. If that had been the only stumbling block my reading experience might have been more pleasant. His constant mentioning and quotations of books I’ve never read further alienated me.
On a positive note, the Kris Kristofferson references were a delight and I loved that he has an affinity for old movies. I felt as if I could relate to this kid on at least the pop culture level.
The main thrust of the plot is the YouTube video and it is mentioned throughout the narrative, but only sporadically. Preston, being the annoying person he is, wants to diagnose the other patients confined with him; the conclusion reveals the use of his observations. The stereotypical mental patients were a disappointment as were the references to Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf. For me, his actions bordered on boring and made it difficult to muster any enthusiasm for the climax.
Other reviewers have called The Queerling ‘stunning,’ ‘thought provoking’ and a ‘delight.’ I felt none of these things nor was I ‘blind sided’ by the ending. There were too many hints pointing toward the conclusion for any surprise.
I’m in the minority, so if it sounds interesting to you I recommend you read it and form your own opinion.
Before I go into my personal feelings about The Queerling let me say that this book is well written and edited. I found only two errors. The author has a healthy command of the writing skills required to produce quality work. That being said, I can only admit to a tepid reaction to the story and plot.
Preston is an interesting character, annoying, but interesting. However, his language skills made it difficult to keep up with him. My vocabulary is sufficient to understand most books and conversations, but this character made me feel like an elementary student trying to understand physics. If that had been the only stumbling block my reading experience might have been more pleasant. His constant mentioning and quotations of books I’ve never read further alienated me.
On a positive note, the Kris Kristofferson references were a delight and I loved that he has an affinity for old movies. I felt as if I could relate to this kid on at least the pop culture level.
The main thrust of the plot is the YouTube video and it is mentioned throughout the narrative, but only sporadically. Preston, being the annoying person he is, wants to diagnose the other patients confined with him; the conclusion reveals the use of his observations. The stereotypical mental patients were a disappointment as were the references to Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf. For me, his actions bordered on boring and made it difficult to muster any enthusiasm for the climax.
Other reviewers have called The Queerling ‘stunning,’ ‘thought provoking’ and a ‘delight.’ I felt none of these things nor was I ‘blind sided’ by the ending. There were too many hints pointing toward the conclusion for any surprise.
I’m in the minority, so if it sounds interesting to you I recommend you read it and form your own opinion.
May 7, 2014
This book resides in that land between 4-5 stars. Doesn't quite make my criteria for 5, but gosh-darn it was this book good.
The ending. That's all I'm saying. The physicist in me loved this book very, very much.
The ending. That's all I'm saying. The physicist in me loved this book very, very much.
January 4, 2015
I just finished The Queerling, and am still dumbfounded over the resolution, leaving me at a loss for the proper words to describe and review. The following is a stumbling attempt...
At 4% into the ebook, I already loved the humor and whit of Preston. That didn't change at all.
Through out, I had question--things I wanted more info on. Some were answered or explained. Others were never resolved. I can't say that is a flaw in the writing. In fact, in a novel written in a journal form from one point of view, all answers cannot be given.
Preston isn't omnipotent. If his narrative did have all the answers, the story wouldn't be the same. His struggle to get info and his behavior as a result of his frustration when the information was not forthcoming WERE the story.
The resolution, like I said, surprised me. It wasn't as expected and I will be thinking it over for days. Isn't that the signed of a wonderfully written story?
I may have finished reading the book, but I am certainly not finished with it.
At 4% into the ebook, I already loved the humor and whit of Preston. That didn't change at all.
Through out, I had question--things I wanted more info on. Some were answered or explained. Others were never resolved. I can't say that is a flaw in the writing. In fact, in a novel written in a journal form from one point of view, all answers cannot be given.
Preston isn't omnipotent. If his narrative did have all the answers, the story wouldn't be the same. His struggle to get info and his behavior as a result of his frustration when the information was not forthcoming WERE the story.
The resolution, like I said, surprised me. It wasn't as expected and I will be thinking it over for days. Isn't that the signed of a wonderfully written story?
I may have finished reading the book, but I am certainly not finished with it.
February 13, 2014
The dialogue and portraits of minor characters of color in this book struck me as racist. As I read the narration, I thought it sounded like the voice of a 60-year-old white man. The author’s photo at the end confirmed my suspicion. The voice is engaging, entertaining and sometimes believable as that of an autism-spectrum genius youth. The author shows through, however, with a misplaced modifier, belying the narrator’s obsession with grammar. I liked that the protagonist seemed to be bisexual without being the stereotypical treacherous seductive bi villain character we see too much of these days. The narrator’s affair with his male schoolmate is rather sweet, but the racial/cultural caricatures soured the book for me.
June 12, 2014
I really loved this book but hated the ending. As someone who deals with mental illness it was interesting to view someone else dealing with it. As someone who has read far to many mysteries and seen far to many movies with twist endings I saw a twist coming from about half way through the book. What the twist was I wasn't expecting. Still the ending left me wondering. Is it real. The cover says its a novel but the ending leaves you wondering if this really happened or if the doctor at leasts believes it happened.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews