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Odd One Out
A loving but eccentric father of three awakens his children late one night with news that their mother has left him and is bound for California. They set off on a hilarious, emotionally charged cross-country road trip to find her, but it takes another decade for the mystery of what happened to be revealed—and for the healing to happen.
- GenresFiction
309 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 24, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 25, 2017
Usually, if I'm the first one to review a book, I have some concerns about posting a critical review, although I'll still do so. This time, I don't care, because rarely have I so disliked a novel and all the characters in it. Well, I did like Kevin somewhat in the first part of the story, even though he sounded like a 50-year-old at times. In the second part, though, he was hardly there, in more ways than one, and his sister Sam became the narrator, instead of Kevin. In the final chapter, Mom became the narrator. But let's start at the beginning....
Mom leaves a note to Dad that she is leaving him. Dad freaks out, wakes up the three kids, and tells them they are going to find Mom, who probably went to her sister's in Los Angeles. Off they go, in the dead of a Minnesota night, to California. Dad is a genius, but one of those impractical ones, who has trouble making a living; and who has no idea what a long car trip with three kids is like, especially one where they are lacking in clothing. Well, it's a long messy trip, complete with brilliant observations about life from Dad, never-ending precocious comments and thoughts from fourth grader Kevin and 13-year-old Sam, stomach problems, eye problems and profanity galore. Yes, everyone swears a lot, from Dad on down to 6-year-old Daniel. Finally, they do make it to California, though, where . . . .
The story picks up 10 years later. It's in that part of the novel that we are informed the family is filled with geniuses--Dad, Mom, Sam, Kevin, everyone but Daniel. Obviously, a high IQ or the lack thereof, however, cannot buy happiness. There are still quite a few family problems. And, lo and behold, we finally find out in the last chapter why Mom left home 10 years earlier. The reason was incredibly stupid, dangerous and unbelievable. (Might this be a blame mommy story incognito, where the children, particularly the sons, are seen as justified in making their mother responsible for whatever forever?) Personally, I thought the whole novel was an incredibly stupid waste of reading time. Nevertheless, maybe other readers will identify with the Genius family, and will cherish every brilliant thought in their heads, and every brilliant word that comes out of their mouths.
(Note: I received a free copy of this book from Amazon Vine.)
Mom leaves a note to Dad that she is leaving him. Dad freaks out, wakes up the three kids, and tells them they are going to find Mom, who probably went to her sister's in Los Angeles. Off they go, in the dead of a Minnesota night, to California. Dad is a genius, but one of those impractical ones, who has trouble making a living; and who has no idea what a long car trip with three kids is like, especially one where they are lacking in clothing. Well, it's a long messy trip, complete with brilliant observations about life from Dad, never-ending precocious comments and thoughts from fourth grader Kevin and 13-year-old Sam, stomach problems, eye problems and profanity galore. Yes, everyone swears a lot, from Dad on down to 6-year-old Daniel. Finally, they do make it to California, though, where . . . .
The story picks up 10 years later. It's in that part of the novel that we are informed the family is filled with geniuses--Dad, Mom, Sam, Kevin, everyone but Daniel. Obviously, a high IQ or the lack thereof, however, cannot buy happiness. There are still quite a few family problems. And, lo and behold, we finally find out in the last chapter why Mom left home 10 years earlier. The reason was incredibly stupid, dangerous and unbelievable. (Might this be a blame mommy story incognito, where the children, particularly the sons, are seen as justified in making their mother responsible for whatever forever?) Personally, I thought the whole novel was an incredibly stupid waste of reading time. Nevertheless, maybe other readers will identify with the Genius family, and will cherish every brilliant thought in their heads, and every brilliant word that comes out of their mouths.
(Note: I received a free copy of this book from Amazon Vine.)
April 26, 2017
Odd One Out is funny. It's honest. It's a well written family drama that has a big emotional heart and speaks truth to families, acknowledging they're all strange, unique and center you regardless of your differences.
If you like Jonathan Tropper, Odd One Out is for you. Did you like the characters and dialogue in Nickolas Butler's Shotgun Lovesongs? You'll enjoy this. If you like the wit, candor and distinct narration style of Wes Anderson movies, then you'll love this book.
The story is told in three parts from three points of view. The story starts at night with a frantic father realizing his wife left him and the kids in the middle of the night. The whole book is a search for what triggered that departure. The reader then goes along for a ride. It starts with a manic cross country road trip that is hilarious reminder of your last butt in the seat hours long car ride with your family.
Narrated first by Kevin a witty and smart preteen, then by Sam, Kevin's hormonal teen sister and all the angst that comes with it. Then finally the mother who reveals quite deftly what drove her apart from the family. There are moments of heart breaking honesty, and clear eyed devoted family love. One moment shared between Sam and Kevin in the car after they've had an argument set the hook in me, reminded me of my own fights with my older sister, and how good it felt to share a moment to say, we're in this together. It wasn't a word, but a moment that was captured just so right, it carried me the rest of the way. Well done Mr. Skinner.
I love the heart and soul of this book, the family is manic, the characters smart the story endearing.
Odd One Out is a great beach read and a terrific book to share with friends that will instantly recognize elements of their family in the characters and pages. Highly recommended.
If you like Jonathan Tropper, Odd One Out is for you. Did you like the characters and dialogue in Nickolas Butler's Shotgun Lovesongs? You'll enjoy this. If you like the wit, candor and distinct narration style of Wes Anderson movies, then you'll love this book.
The story is told in three parts from three points of view. The story starts at night with a frantic father realizing his wife left him and the kids in the middle of the night. The whole book is a search for what triggered that departure. The reader then goes along for a ride. It starts with a manic cross country road trip that is hilarious reminder of your last butt in the seat hours long car ride with your family.
Narrated first by Kevin a witty and smart preteen, then by Sam, Kevin's hormonal teen sister and all the angst that comes with it. Then finally the mother who reveals quite deftly what drove her apart from the family. There are moments of heart breaking honesty, and clear eyed devoted family love. One moment shared between Sam and Kevin in the car after they've had an argument set the hook in me, reminded me of my own fights with my older sister, and how good it felt to share a moment to say, we're in this together. It wasn't a word, but a moment that was captured just so right, it carried me the rest of the way. Well done Mr. Skinner.
I love the heart and soul of this book, the family is manic, the characters smart the story endearing.
Odd One Out is a great beach read and a terrific book to share with friends that will instantly recognize elements of their family in the characters and pages. Highly recommended.
June 5, 2017
Skinner finds a way to address the grim subject matter of life with such a wry and at times downright hilarious approach. The world's in need of storytellers who take the dark outlook of depression, fucked up family drama, and emotional trauma and navigate the reader through the pinhole of light and reason for optimism on the other side. Someone who believes-and what's more, convinces us-that everything really will be alright.
It's impossible not to see yourself in one of these characters if you grew up as one of a few siblings, or else a parent raising them. (God, I remember those car rides.) In fact, reading this book stirred memories from childhood that were otherwise collecting dust somewhere.
Take this journey. You won't forget it.
It's impossible not to see yourself in one of these characters if you grew up as one of a few siblings, or else a parent raising them. (God, I remember those car rides.) In fact, reading this book stirred memories from childhood that were otherwise collecting dust somewhere.
Take this journey. You won't forget it.
May 11, 2017
That's right, my friends - 5 stars. That makes two in a one-month span! Unheard of. This family drama had the perfect amount of sarcasm, dry humor, cynicism, hope, and love.
As the older sister of two brothers, naturally I saw my family in parts of this. Overall, I agree with the pervading sense that no matter what, as long as you're with the people you belong to, you'll be okay. Even when you're really not okay at the time.
I also liked that so much happens in the car! I don't know why.
Read it. You won't be disappointed.
As the older sister of two brothers, naturally I saw my family in parts of this. Overall, I agree with the pervading sense that no matter what, as long as you're with the people you belong to, you'll be okay. Even when you're really not okay at the time.
I also liked that so much happens in the car! I don't know why.
Read it. You won't be disappointed.
June 4, 2017
*I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways*
There is a part early in the book where the narrator describes his father's valise where he keeps all of his writings as "an exterior manifestation of Dad's brain: full of an infinity of information, hopelessly disorganized, and redolent with an alarmingly vivid tinge of purposeful futility". My own brain feels similar whenever I attempt to write anything, including reviews, but that quote could also be the tagline for this book.
There is a bit of a disconnect between the first narrator, Kevin, who's supposed to be ten when the story begins, and the syntax used in the writing. I get that it's the narrator looking back on things from an older perspective but it's a bit off-putting when it appears to be the ten-year-old telling the story but he's using words like "Freudian", "Lacanian", and "Manichean" to describe his father. I really wasn't all that into it by the time the book reaches Part II but I was sufficiently intrigued by the fact that a) the story then transitions to Ten Years Later, because "hindsight is 20/20" and all that but also by the fact that b) the narrator then switches to Sam's perspective, which as the only girl and the oldest child (and the only one going through the craziness that is puberty during the events of Part I) seems like it might offer a very interesting perspective on things. However, Sam continues what had started with Kevin where the reader is told things about the various family members - Mom, Dad, the youngest child Daniel -- that are evidently somewhat obvious or at least well-known to the characters but that aren't really shown or hinted at to the reader. Evidently Daniel's always been a bit...off but that was completely unclear until a majority of the way through Part I when Kevin thinks about one time when he glimpsed his brother through a window and thought he looked a bit strange. Yet, according to Kevin that was just the first time he really realized it although there had evidently been other hints...just none that the reader will be privy too. This comes up again in Part II when Sam is asked to find Daniel and so spends a good amount of time thinking about him and all the things that the family knows or at least senses about him but that are completely brand new to the reader. The author seems at times to be trying to foreshadow things but it's done rather jerkily and clumsily so that instead of imbuing the book with a sense of dread to come the foreshadowing moments stand out rather bluntly for a moment before being forgotten for a while until another comes along: "blah blah blah POSSIBLE FORESHADOWING blah blah....blah blah blah blah ANOTHER POSSIBLE FORESHADOWING blah", etc.
"[P]erhaps there's truth to the notion that each of gets precisely what we deserve"...is that what's going on here? I'm really not sure, by the end of the book I'm just left thinking "what was that"? Maybe it's the author making a commentary on divorce and/or life -- it starts off looking great, in the same way this family supposedly (so they keep telling us but we never actually see it in the book since the reader enters in when everything's started to degenerate) was once bright and golden but most definitely isn't by the end of the book but hey, that's okay, because that's divorce/life? I don't know. The different perspectives thing seems like a waste since you don't really gain any insight into the events of the book by switching from one perspective to another. It's more like we change perspectives solely out of necessity because the previous narrator is not available at the moment so we have to settle for someone who is. And just who or what is the title referring to anyways? At first guess it might seem to be Daniel since he is the only child in the family who doesn't serve at narrator at some point but since all the narrators spend at least as much time thinking about the rest of the family, particularly the father, Glenn, as they do about Daniel even in Part II when all of the action seems to be about Daniel, it's not really clear. The title could easily be about Glenn since he doesn't come across as as brilliant/capable/full of potential as the rest of the family members and all the problems could be argued to have started with him. There's plenty that's unclear or handled strangely with this book and I don't have a good enough inclination that it's saying or attempting to say anything that would make it worth the extra effort to try to figure it out.
There is a part early in the book where the narrator describes his father's valise where he keeps all of his writings as "an exterior manifestation of Dad's brain: full of an infinity of information, hopelessly disorganized, and redolent with an alarmingly vivid tinge of purposeful futility". My own brain feels similar whenever I attempt to write anything, including reviews, but that quote could also be the tagline for this book.
There is a bit of a disconnect between the first narrator, Kevin, who's supposed to be ten when the story begins, and the syntax used in the writing. I get that it's the narrator looking back on things from an older perspective but it's a bit off-putting when it appears to be the ten-year-old telling the story but he's using words like "Freudian", "Lacanian", and "Manichean" to describe his father. I really wasn't all that into it by the time the book reaches Part II but I was sufficiently intrigued by the fact that a) the story then transitions to Ten Years Later, because "hindsight is 20/20" and all that but also by the fact that b) the narrator then switches to Sam's perspective, which as the only girl and the oldest child (and the only one going through the craziness that is puberty during the events of Part I) seems like it might offer a very interesting perspective on things. However, Sam continues what had started with Kevin where the reader is told things about the various family members - Mom, Dad, the youngest child Daniel -- that are evidently somewhat obvious or at least well-known to the characters but that aren't really shown or hinted at to the reader. Evidently Daniel's always been a bit...off but that was completely unclear until a majority of the way through Part I when Kevin thinks about one time when he glimpsed his brother through a window and thought he looked a bit strange. Yet, according to Kevin that was just the first time he really realized it although there had evidently been other hints...just none that the reader will be privy too. This comes up again in Part II when Sam is asked to find Daniel and so spends a good amount of time thinking about him and all the things that the family knows or at least senses about him but that are completely brand new to the reader. The author seems at times to be trying to foreshadow things but it's done rather jerkily and clumsily so that instead of imbuing the book with a sense of dread to come the foreshadowing moments stand out rather bluntly for a moment before being forgotten for a while until another comes along: "blah blah blah POSSIBLE FORESHADOWING blah blah....blah blah blah blah ANOTHER POSSIBLE FORESHADOWING blah", etc.
"[P]erhaps there's truth to the notion that each of gets precisely what we deserve"...is that what's going on here? I'm really not sure, by the end of the book I'm just left thinking "what was that"? Maybe it's the author making a commentary on divorce and/or life -- it starts off looking great, in the same way this family supposedly (so they keep telling us but we never actually see it in the book since the reader enters in when everything's started to degenerate) was once bright and golden but most definitely isn't by the end of the book but hey, that's okay, because that's divorce/life? I don't know. The different perspectives thing seems like a waste since you don't really gain any insight into the events of the book by switching from one perspective to another. It's more like we change perspectives solely out of necessity because the previous narrator is not available at the moment so we have to settle for someone who is. And just who or what is the title referring to anyways? At first guess it might seem to be Daniel since he is the only child in the family who doesn't serve at narrator at some point but since all the narrators spend at least as much time thinking about the rest of the family, particularly the father, Glenn, as they do about Daniel even in Part II when all of the action seems to be about Daniel, it's not really clear. The title could easily be about Glenn since he doesn't come across as as brilliant/capable/full of potential as the rest of the family members and all the problems could be argued to have started with him. There's plenty that's unclear or handled strangely with this book and I don't have a good enough inclination that it's saying or attempting to say anything that would make it worth the extra effort to try to figure it out.
June 19, 2023
Odd One Out by Quinton Skinner was a story of a family going through a divorce and the outcome ten years later. The story shows the affects from multiple families’ point of view over two different time periods.
I’m from Minnesota and still live in Minnesota. I actually live two small towns over from where the author lives. I bought this book in Barnes & Nobles at the Maplewood Mall in Maplewood, MN. It was on the shelf designated for staff picks. I like MN based books and thought it was great that a staff member had recommended it. Unfortunately the book being MN based was really the only good thing I have to say about the book. I liked the first half of the book when they were kids. But the second half of the book I honestly disliked.
This book really doesn’t have anything happy about it. Not even the ending. The first half of the book was entertaining and comical. The second half of the book was like an airplane trying to land and missing its landing gear every time. There’s no real resolution for every issue the family member has and there’s no real point to the book. You find out in the end, why the beginning events of the book happened. But all the rest in the middle is pretty much pointless. Just a bunch of events written to fill gaps. Was very disappointed.
★ Wouldn’t recommend.
I’m from Minnesota and still live in Minnesota. I actually live two small towns over from where the author lives. I bought this book in Barnes & Nobles at the Maplewood Mall in Maplewood, MN. It was on the shelf designated for staff picks. I like MN based books and thought it was great that a staff member had recommended it. Unfortunately the book being MN based was really the only good thing I have to say about the book. I liked the first half of the book when they were kids. But the second half of the book I honestly disliked.
This book really doesn’t have anything happy about it. Not even the ending. The first half of the book was entertaining and comical. The second half of the book was like an airplane trying to land and missing its landing gear every time. There’s no real resolution for every issue the family member has and there’s no real point to the book. You find out in the end, why the beginning events of the book happened. But all the rest in the middle is pretty much pointless. Just a bunch of events written to fill gaps. Was very disappointed.
★ Wouldn’t recommend.
May 14, 2018
If there ever was a narrative that calls out for a robust book club discussion -- this is it! In order to discuss all angles of "Odd One Out" about a dysfunctional family, it would seem necessary to have three generations involved in the discussions for each to give their interpretations of exactly what happened to this family and who should bare the blame. How many times will you change your mind after listening to the reasoning of others?
This is a three-star book for me because basically I liked it, even though it did get a bit lengthy.
This is a three-star book for me because basically I liked it, even though it did get a bit lengthy.
December 16, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely LOVED the first part. Hilarious, tragic, relatable.
The second half I'm left wanting. I wish other characters' points of view were covered. Some things were left without an explanation; others, too much of an explanation.
Overall, though, not a bad read at all.
The second half I'm left wanting. I wish other characters' points of view were covered. Some things were left without an explanation; others, too much of an explanation.
Overall, though, not a bad read at all.
May 12, 2017
I liked this book, some parts had me laughing out loud!
May 29, 2017
I received this book free from the Goodreads giveaway. I don't know what to think of this at times I really liked it and want to know what happened. and other times I got sick of the complaining.
May 12, 2021
This has got to be one of my favorite books I've ever read. There are so many good turns. I highly suggest you read it as well
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews