Frost Devereaux's odyssey of self-discovery spans three decades and takes him to every corner of America. Guiding him along his journey are the twin loves of his life: Frankie & Frank Maguire. Through his tempestuous relationships with them, he learns who he is and where he belongs.
Pat has never climbed Mt. Everest, never fronted a rock band (or played a musical instrument), never played on a pro sports team, never dated (or even seen up close) a supermodel, never been linked to any celebrity (A, B, D-list or otherwise), never walked down a red carpet, never had anyone discuss a "baby bump," never been featured on reality TV, and never been the star of a YouTube video. However, Pat has spent many lonely evenings (early mornings and midafternoons, too!) reading and writing, and that has resulted in the publication of this novel.
Initially, I decided to pick up Where You Belong by Pat Dilloway because he said it was the very best of his books. He said he was inspired and that he would never write anything better than this novel. I think that's what he still says about it. I figured that sounded like a good place to start. I mean, if an author says about one of his books that it's the best thing he's capable of writing, you may as well start with that, right? Yeah, that's what I thought, too.
It didn't take me very long to realize that if this wis the best that Dilloway has to offer, then I won't be reading any of his books.
First, it's written in first person. (I haven't been shy about how I feel about first person. But it's worse, because it's written in first person omniscient and, well, that's just not a thing. I mean, unless your protagonist is God (or, maybe, Charles Xavier), omniscient and first person do not go together. That's the whole reason for writing in first person, to have a limited view of what's going on. A view limited to only what the protagonist knows and observes. That's why first person works so well in detective fiction, because the whole point of that is the protagonist trying to work out what he doesn't know from his rather limited perspective. This issue of allowing the first person protagonist to know too much is very pervasive in first person stories, but I'd never seen full-on first person omniscient before. Yes, it set me against the book right from the start, because, again, first person omniscient is not a thing.
[Note: Dilloway has spoken on his blog and various other places that the book was originally written in third person and that he later went back and converted it. I think he must have done this through a simple replacement of pronouns, because he didn't do anything to adjust the viewpoint. I'm saying this based on my experience with my middle school students. There have been many times when I have given writing assignments to write from a particular perspective. It is not infrequent that I will get stories that were originally written from a different perspective so the student just went in and changed the pronouns. That's not enough when making a perspective shift and, anytime I have asked, for instance, "Did you originally write this in first person," the answer has always been "yes."
So that would explain the omniscience problem. He originally wrote it in third person omniscient but didn't narrow the viewpoint to first person when he converted it to a first person story. I'm just going to call it what it is: a middle school mistake.]
The next issue with the book is that it shifts back and forth from past to present tense, but not in a way that makes sense. For instance, it would make sense if part of the story was being told "now" and part of the story was being told "then." However, what we have are clearly places that are "then" that are being told in past tense, followed by a section that is still "then" but now in present tense, followed by a section that is still "then" but back in past tense. These are chronological events, so the shift in tense didn't work for me.
[Note: This is a thing I am extremely sensitive to, because it's an issue my middle schoolers struggle with a lot. The most common reason I hand a story back to a student is because of an issue with tense shifts. My comment is generally, "Pick one, past or present, and stick to it."]
Then there's the issue of the voice, and this, also, is probably related to the shift the author made from third to first person. When you write in third person, the voice can be whatever you want it to be, because it's the narrator's voice, not the character's. When you write in first person, though, the voice needs to be the character's voice and, thus, reflective of the character. The protagonist starts out at age three or four, but the voice is definitely that of an adult. That would be okay if it was clear that it was an adult reflecting back on his childhood, but the feel of the story is that it's being told by the kid, especially since some of it is in present tense, but not in a kid's voice. Now, I get that writing from a child's perspective can be difficult but, if you can't do it, don't choose to do it.
I put the book down. I decided it wasn't worth the effort to wade through it when there was no indication that it would get any better. Sure, the kid grows up to fit the voice, so to speak, but it was already messed up for me by that point, and none of the other problems were going to work themselves out. Generally, I don't review books I don't finish, but it has been a long time since I quit reading a book because it wasn't worth the torture to do it (I have slogged through a lot of really bad books in the last few years), so I thought, this time, it was worth noting for the mere fact that I did decide I couldn't finish it.
The author, Mr. Dilloway, has woven a beautiful narrative through the often troubled life of Frost Devereaux. From his mother and father's terrible relationship to how he gets manipulated by the Maguire twins, the events that unfold are heart-wrenching.
Really, all Frost wants is to be loved and to not have to live a life alone. This yearning causes him to bounce between Frankie, the woman who taught him passion with A Streetcar Named Desire to Frank(her twin brother) who engages him in a homosexual relationship and marriage in a tumultuous climax that recalls the civil rights riots of the 1960's. The events that happen that break Frost's marriage are understandable but tragic. Mr. Dilloway knows what love is and knows how to write it so that when it all comes crashing down, it's like watching some beautiful piece of art being destroyed in front of your eyes and you are helpless to do anything.
The last thing I want to say is that Mr. Dilloway is highly original with his narrative (and completely faithful to his characters and their flaws). Frost never learns and never listens and follows his heart to the very last page which is what makes him so loveable as a character. If you are looking for a book that smacks of the Cider House Rules but addresses the issues of modern times up to and including what happened in 9/11 at Ground Zero and the gay marriage debate, you should check out this book.
It's been about a year since I finished writing and editing this book--and from the look of it I should have done at least one more edit. I figured that would be enough time to get a little perspective on the story since it wouldn't be so fresh in my mind. It's good to see that after a year I still like t. Maybe after five years that will be different, though I doubt it.
I set out to write something in the style of John Irving novels like The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules and generally I think I succeeded, though not as well as though books of course. If you're so inclined you can also compare it to Great Expectations, The Adventures of Augie March, or Forrest Gump.
Like those, Where You Belong is the story of a man's epic journey through life--much of it unwillingly. Frost Devereaux never had anything like a normal upbringing. His parents conceived him in a one-night stand during a blizzard and then were wed in a shotgun wedding sans an actual shotgun. Frost's mother hates the man who knocked her up enough that she forces him to live in a barn on her property, from which he is essentially a stranger to his own son. It's not much of a surprise then that when Frost's mother dies in a traffic accident and Frost's face is badly burned, his father takes off to leave him in the care of an inattentive aunt.
From there Frost might have grown up as an isolated lunatic if not for the arrival of redheaded twins from Boston: Frankie and Frank Maguire. They establish the pecking order early on where Frankie is the boss, her brother plotting behind the scenes, and Frost the loyal sidekick to them both. This pecking order remains for the next thirty years of Frost's life.
Much as Frost would like a nice, normal life, it remains tantalizingly out of reach. Or if he does find a moment of happiness it's soon pulled away. His friendship with Frankie lasts through elementary school, but the forces of puberty soon prompt Frankie to leave him behind. He turns to Frank and they head off to an elite private school in upstate New York, but Frank soon has other plans that don't involve Frost. In college, Frost finds a new friend in his roommate Peter, a Trekkie who searches the skies for signs of extraterrestrial life. This budding friendship is soon brought to an end in tragic fashion.
From there Frost ends up in an artist's colony in New Mexico before Frankie returns to his life. Again he thinks he has happiness in his grasp only for it to be snatched away. Heartbroken, Frost finds comfort with Frank only to find he's not that different from his twin.
Maybe this description makes the story sound depressing, but really it's not. Through it all Frost, like most of us, maintains a sense of optimism that someday things are going to work out. And maybe they will. You'll just have to read to find out.
What I like most about the book in reading it a year later is that Frost remains consistent throughout. Some people have described him as passive and he is, with good cause. Never having a stable existence, not to mention a facial deformity, he is an outcast. So it really makes sense--at least to me--that he takes on the sidekick role in order not to alienate those willing to be his friends. Not to mention characters like Frankie and Frank are naturally overpowering and domineering. For the most part these characters and Fate in general move Frost around like the feather in Forrest Gump. It's only near the end where he maybe starts to take control of his own destiny. Still, he remains consistent throughout the book.
For that matter, so do Frankie and Frank. As I said earlier, their pecking order remains in place throughout the thirty years covered by the book. Frankie remains passionate, with her heart on her sleeve while Frank remains a calculating schemer. Because love is blind, Frost never understands that the Maguire twins are more alike than he thinks and generally not good for him until it's much too late. Not to say they're bad people so much as just bad for him.
The downside of writing a book like this that goes from pre-conception to early middle age is that you have a lot of ground to cover. Unless you make the book 2000 pages long, inevitably things get skipped or glossed over. In the first draft I had trouble with dwelling too long on Frost's early years, so that things had to be sped up a little. I think not too much has been lost and so it's still an effective portrait of a man who like many of us is searching for a home.
WHERE YOU BELONG is a bildungsroman featuring Frost Devereaux, a scarred (literally) protagonist who is orphaned at a young age, slowly evolves personally and professionally, clarifies his sexual identity, and then finally seems to land in an emotionally comfortable zone, where he can build from his difficult past.
A review of WYB on Amazon.com compares this novel to THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP. While I have not read GARP (or any John Irving novel), I did look up Irving on Wikipedia, where the page states that there are recurring themes in his work. These include New England, deadly accidents, wrestling, absent parents, and writing. Further, his books feature adultery, gang rape, homosexuality, and transsexualism. Well, these are all elements (some very minor) in WYB, which some may read as homage to John Irving.
In several respects, WYB must have been an especially difficult novel to write. In part, this is due to the personality of Frost, who is a passive protagonist and comes alive primarily when he discusses or undertakes a writing project. Otherwise, Frost is an active watcher, much like Nick Carraway in THE GREAT GATSBY, who follows, and tries to comprehend, the lives of more dynamic personalities.
As in GATSBY, this passivity enables the author to explore his themes—in this case, friendship, love, and sexual identity—with insight and sensitivity. But, as in GATSBY, where the narrator Nick is less interesting than Jay Gatsby, Frost is less interesting than the Maguire twins, who lead him forward in life. Anyway, my point is this: Anyone who has tried to write with a passive narrator or protagonist knows how hard this is to do well. IMHO, a crazy narrator is much easier.
Secondly, WYB must have been a challenge because it has wide scope, following Frost from his strange and loveless conception to his full adulthood, which comes to him in his thirties. In this respect, WYB is Dickensian in both ambition and execution, with Dilloway pulling all his themes and characters (including bullies from Frost’s childhood) into a neat and persuasive package in the novel’s final chapters. Undeniably, the Dill kept control of his sprawling material, which finally emphasizes Frost’s core of decency.
Recommended especially to fans of John Irving, who some consider the American Dickens.
Frost Devereaux is that passive character whose life experiences are determined by his more outgoing and driven friends. Much like the main characters in A Prayer for Owen Meany or Our Lady of the Lowriders, he is simply swept along into adventures, never really charting his own course. While his passivity is understandable in his younger years, it becomes annoying as he ages, and as he is repeatedly victimized.
I thought the beginning of the book was great, but it really dragged through the middle. There was also no suspense through the middle as you are frequently warned that bad things are coming. The lack of formatting made it a little challenging to read on the kindle, but considering it was bargain priced, it wasn't that big of an issue. Overall an good read, but not for the easily offended as there is a fair amount of sexual activity.
The paceing of this was well done never felt bored or drawn out. I love to read coming of age stories so I knew I'd enjoy this. Great character development really felt the characters were real. Being from the midwest I don't have much insight into how it feels to know anyone that is questioning there sexual preferance so this offered insight into the private mind of Frost I would never have had the oppertunity to know. This ended well with all lingering questions anwered. So grateful to have won this as a goodreads giveaway I would have never bought anything like this, opened my eyes to many things I wouldn't have had the chance to know, so grateful :)
Frost makes two lifelong friends in Kindergarten: Frank and Frankie, wealthy twins that have moved with their father to the Midwest to the East coast. The book follows Frost through his life, which includes two marriages--one to each twin.
This book is about a person finding himself through trial and error. For a long book it was a quick read. While I never found myself rooting for Frost, I also never tired of his spineless behavior. I was interested to see when, and if, Frost would ever figure out who he really was.
The book ended when it needed to, and didn't leave any hanging questions. With believable characters and good pacing, I think this is a good vacation kind of read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Where You Belong is a book with very compelling characters and vivid writing. (There are a few scenes, such as the car crash, that I just can't get out of my head.) The story follows Frost, an unlucky writer, as he searches for love and family. His tale moves along at a brisk pace, and the book was a real page-turner, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Very well written story about a boy who becomes a man and his journey to find his way and discover who he is in life and what that all means in the scheme of things. I enjoyed reading this and was able to read it realitively quickly. Enjoy!
I liked the main character Frost early in the story. Frost starts out in life with some problems. His mother dies in an accident which also leaves him scarred at an early age. His deadbeat father leaves and for a lot of the story Frost just goes about not really having a place in life, so he goes along with some friends that are rich and pretty much take him in. I liked him early in the story considering his background. He also pines for the almost crazy woman Frankie who is completely bad for him, but this is realistic because people often pine for someone they can't have or even shouldn't have. One of the themes in this book is basically about the struggles of people who have trouble fitting into society. This is also a character story where you read about several people with unusual things about them, but on the other had they are very realistic. Some of the characters are gay and gay issues are confronted in the book. Overall an interesting read that I highly recommend.
No time to write a review, but I DO recommend this novel. BILDUNGSROMAN: It forced me to revisit the definition and it's a great example of one, kind of an epic coming-of-age that covers 30 years (or more?) of a guy's tumultuous life. Since I'm short on time, here's what I commented on the author's own review of his book a few years after he'd written it:
Really grateful to find this review after staying up (way too late) last night to finish it. Your review affirms my feelings about the book. Especially glad to see you were going for Irving, because I did get that a few times throughout, but thought I might be reaching as I've read a few Irving-esque novels lately. I also appreciate the Iowa setting. I did sometimes wish Frost would get some gumption and take control of his own life, but it is completely understandable- also kind of beautiful- that he didn't.
This book kept me reading to the end. It was interesting enough but I was disappointed with the end because we still don't know if Frost will ever find someone he is happy with or can trust. He seemed happy to have anyone to love him and was always betrayed. If only he had a mind of his own. And the irony's in this story was a little over the top.