Theo

by Ed Taylor

Ten-year-old Theo lives with his grandfather and a minder in a vast, decrepit Long Island mansion said to have inspired The Great Gatsby. His English father, a world famous rock musician, spends most of the year away on tour. His mother, beautiful and fragile, is in and out of his life amid bouts of rehab.
Alone for much of the time, Theo takes refuge in his attic bedroom, among his collection of live butterfly pupas and the tales of piratical adventure that fire his imagination.
Then, a fax arrives: 'Reef the mainsail.' It seems Theo's father is coming home to record a new album, and he's planning to stay the whole summer. Along with the rest of the band, managers, PR people, agents, and countless hangers-on good, bad and downright ugly...
Over two life-changing days, Theo captures the mind and voice of a ten-year-old boy at the far edge of innocence. At once a tender coming-of-age story and an exploration of the radioactive effects of the rich and famous on those who love them, it peels away the image to look into the dark heart of fame and fortune.

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2014

Reviews

[Jorrit Wouters · Rating 2 out of 5]

[2,5] “Frieda called it one of his redeeming qualities. What’s a redeeming quality, Theo asked. A reason not to kill him, Frieda said.”

[David Haworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this book as I was told by a book shop owner friend that it has similarities to the one I am writing at the moment.
It is written from the point of view of Theo, a ten year old boy who is the son of a rock star and lives a chaotic life surrounded by reckless and debauched adults who don't look after him well. The similarities to my book end with the fact that it is a young boy central protagonist.
I was moved to feel terribly sorry for Theo; I worried about him. Although a lot of the wild antics of the adults was completely believable, I found it hard to take quite how unprotected this boy was.
There were some interesting stylistic choices made by the writer, not using speech marks at all and not even putting speech on separate lines took a little getting used to, and the refusal to use question marks was interesting, considering a ten year old boy asks a LOT of questions, I didn't see the point of not using the punctuation. I couldn't work out the rationale. And so many sentences began with the word Theo; Theo does this. Theo thinks that... It felt like a stylistic idea that was a little overused.
Having said that, there were a LOT of positives in this book and I would say it is definitely worth a read. I really felt for Theo, and to a certain extent his parents. Although on the surface the adults lives look like one long hedonistic party, it is a fairly bleak world that is described when viewed through this particular lens.

[Juan Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theo is a compelling coming-of-age novel about parental rock-star excess and its impact on a ten-year-old boy. Ed Taylor creates a world of artistic indulgence and self-absorption, populated by larger-than-life characters, yet always keeps Theo firmly at the centre of the story.

Theo is deeply loved by his father Adrian, his mother Frieda, his grandad Gus and Colin, his minder. Each is immersed in their own hedonistic working lives, but all, in different ways, try to do right by him. The novel doesn’t shy away from the consequences of their choices; instead, it allows the reader to reflect on how adult ambition, creativity and excess can shape — and distort — a child’s experience of the world.

What makes the book resonate is how those exaggerated lives carry a wider message. Beneath the glamour and chaos is a thoughtful exploration of responsibility and the impact our working lives can have on our children.

The ending offers a genuine sense of hope. Theo finding a sister to care for and protect gives the story the fullness it deserves, and offers him the future we want for him.

A thoughtful, assured novel that lingers long after the final page.

[Jackie underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It dealt with issues really well. I felt sorry for Theo and the way no one really had time for him. I thought it brought home the selfish attitude of drug takers/junkies, because they always put their needs first. Not just in the music industry. I disliked most of the characters, mainly because they were so selfish and shallow. Well written book to make me feel these emotions.

[Stacy ( cr33pycrawlspace ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything about this book is unique; the really long sentences, lack of question and quotation marks, strange/random situations, and character perspectives. The author seems to make his own grammar rules and is very consistent in them. The writing is very dream like. You find your self truly seeing the world from ten year old Theo's perspective and Theo is a very likeable character which helps. This story gave me a lot of childhood déjà vu- not with the plot or setting obviously but in the way the writing forces you to think like a ten year old again. Sometimes after reading a paragraph I would have to piece together what was really going on based on what I know to be true as an adult. Child and adult perspectives are so different and this book offers an interesting blend of that.
Each character has a very strong voice of their own which I enjoyed.
Concluding thoughts- I like the idea of paying the boatman. Rock stars should not have pets. Kids deserve respectable answers to their questions. Great story.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was window into music industry and how fame and fortune are dealt with. unfortunatley i ended up just feeling sorry for Theo and how he craved the normal things and just having a routine rather than waking up not knowing who would be in his house. i was glad to finish it in the end - wouldn't recommend

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so sorry for Theo and so cross with those about him it doubtless influenced my rating of the book