Leslie's Journal Fails to Impress
Leslie Philips can only be described by one word. “Trouble” (Stratton 12). She constantly rebels against her mother and teachers, experiments with drugs and alcohol and when it comes to school, if she decides to show up, her grades are less than satisfactory. With her parent’s recent divorce and her new “cute, perky, overgrown cheerleader” (Stratton 21) stepmom in the picture, it seems as though Leslie’s world is falling apart, until she meets Jason, the hunky heartthrob, newly transferred from a prestigious prep school. Tall, dark and handsome, Jason seems like the perfect guy, the conventional bad boy, but soon Leslie is thrown into a whirlwind of a relationship she just can’t seem to get out of.
Set somewhere in the suburban United States, Leslie’s Journal tells the story of the trials and tribulations of fifteen year old Leslie Philips as she pushes away her friends and family and enters a new sexually and physically abusive relationship. Although filled with both suspenseful and intriguing moments that would have you hanging off your seat, Leslie’s Journal fails to impress. From the simplistic writing style to the predictable storyline, I couldn’t wait for this book to be over.
The first line of the novel reads, “It’s only the first week and school already sucks” (Stratton 1), and so does this book. The writing style is completely juvenile and overly simplistic, with language fit for a twelve year old but with content for much older. The author of the novel, Allan Stratton, takes on a very, and I mean very sarcastic, ironic and frankly annoying tone. When Leslie’s not complaining about homework, teachers or girls at school, she’s lashing out at her mother for some god-awful reason. Rude and obnoxious, Leslie is in fact a ‘parent’s nightmare’ as I found it hard to connect or even feel a tiny bit of compassion for her. The characters are amazingly, over-superficial, from Leslie, the raging and rebellious teen, complete in her fish-net stocking and midriff-bearing tops. Burdened by the fact that her parents had moved around a lot when she was a child, she was unable to make many friends or form new relationships. Throw in the cliché divorced parents ordeal; Leslie’s just a ‘lost soul’ looking for a stable relationship and someone to love. Enter Jason; the rich, snobby, motorcycle driving bad boy boyfriend that every girl wants but can’t have.
“When I look out, I see it’s him the guy from the office. And come to think of it, he is really cute, slouched all alone against the goalpost, one knee slightly bent, hands on his back pockets, head back to catch some rays. He looks like an underwear model with clothes on” (Stratton 17)
Apart from the stereotypical characters, Leslie’s Journal also lacks in plot. The ‘I thought he was a good guy, but I was wrong’ storyline, although realistic, has been recycled over and over again, in books, television and film, leaving the novel completely predictable. I was hoping for a change in Leslie’s character, something that would give the book a ‘morally uplifting’ ending, but once again I was let down. Despite the realism of the story, the outcome was quite unrealistic. Leslie was lucky, but not many girls in this kind of situation are.
Overall Leslie’s Journal was quite a let down. Despite the novel’s stereotypical, intolerable, under-developed characters, Leslie’s arrogant, obnoxious tone and its predictable plot, I found the book hard to put down. I would recommend this book to adolescents looking for a fast, ‘leisure’ read and to someone who doesn’t care for the elements that make up a good book. As for me, I will be moving this book to the back of my bookshelf.