Fishbones

by Jisuk Cho

Fishbones is a story about growing up, friendship, and sometimes the mob.

Genres: Young Adult, Ebooks

437 pages, Unknown Binding

First published April 4, 2014

About the author

Jisuk Cho is a writer and artist — previously based in New York, NY and currently living in Tokyo, Japan. Current projects are the Fishbones novel and Karasu, an illustrated novel about tengu and other yokai in feudal Japan.

Reviews

[Fornia]

shoutout to my sister for giving this book to me with the glowing recommendation of "fun banter and you get attached to the characters" without mentioning the several highly graphic, extremely detailed torture scenes

[Conrad J · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5

Fishbones is an enjoyable read that focuses on the lives of high schoolers Ferris and Demos as they navigate the trials of adolescence and involvement within a criminal syndicate. Ferris Levinstein is an academically ambitious, but socially-inept, bully target. He just wants to graduate high school and gain admittance to Yale. His friend is Demos, a cultured and charismatic Italian-English immigrant with ties to the Italian mafia who teaches Ferris about life beyond books and violin recitals.

The novel's strength lies in its characters much more so than its plot, which is composed of a mixture of story arcs that develop the main characters' personalities, but whose climaxes and resolutions left me wanting. There simply isn't enough buildup of tension within the story to make this into a thrilling crime tale of organized crime à la Puzo. That being said, I do not think Fishbones necessarily aspires to sit in the crime thriller niche. Fishbones instead succeeds as a coming-of-age tale for the two protagonists, who come alive through their completely realistic teenage anxieties and insecurities. There's plenty of high school humor, profane language, graphic violence, and mandatory coming-of-age romantic drama, but beyond this are friendships and characters that kept me turning the pages.

I recommend this novel to young adults (14+) interested in relationship-driven works with a side of organized crime glamour.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Jisuk Cho forEVER. I downloaded this book when it was available on the internet back in 2008 - in fact, I still have the file on my computer. It was so much fun to buy a revised copy and read it after so long, knowing that I loved the characters but not knowing exactly what was going to happen. This book is so, so good. And "P.S. Sit on the left side" killed me. I am dead now. RIP.

[Haris Riswandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way he writes the details of situation around and its emotional into words. If you guys have a friend that will make you do everything to get playing together, this book will relate you the easiest way.

[Chiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it. Do it. You won't regret it.