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The Wraith
Itching for freedom, Linus leaves home and moves into a trailer park with some of his friends. There they are free to live as carefree wastrels. But it is not what Linus expects. His best friend Rex abruptly vanishes, his roommate John begins to surround himself with criminals and his job at the local gas station becomes increasingly unstable. At the same time Linus is haunted by his neighbor Clyde, an elderly security guard who seems to appear at any place and anytime, often spending all evening at the window watching them and peering into their lives.
300 pages, Paperback
First published September 23, 2010
2 people are currently reading
423 people want to read
About the author
Goodloe Byron
12 books36 followersGoodloe is unique, some might say crazy. The Frederick, MD native has self-published thousand of copies of his 3, novels, packs them into his car, and goes on massive road trips to give them away – to students, lawyers, the homeless – for free. He’s even been to China on this mission.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
March 12, 2010
Finally, the masculine answer to chick-lit has been made. Behold Goodloe Byron's grime-lit novel, featuring everyday young men wallowing in grungy intoxication and petty crimes. We follow Linus, the main character, through a possibly endless series of drunken, self-hating episodes that seem to be leading nowhere. Where a chick-lit protagonist might go shopping for new shoes, Linus gets drunk on a log. The chick-lit lady flirts devilishly with a new friend; Linus scars his coworker for life.
It's like the Devil Wears Prada, you can't turn away from the spectacle. Just as Bridget Jones's Diary confirms for its female audience that real love can happen, The Wraith assures its male audience that destruction is imminent. It's hard to avoid feeling the same general dread that permeates Linus's every action, as Byron's prose refuses to shield us from the sludge of everyday boredom.
The frantic final fifty pages feel predestined, an eerie echo of the unavoidable sequence at the end of Kafka's The Trial that the author said could have occurred at any point in the story. We are thrust into a chilling dementia as Linus suddenly attempts to assign meaning to all the nothingness of his life. The results are predictably disastrous, but at the book's bracing end, we are still as lost as Linus. We forget so easily whether we knew the big nothing was coming or not.
It's like the Devil Wears Prada, you can't turn away from the spectacle. Just as Bridget Jones's Diary confirms for its female audience that real love can happen, The Wraith assures its male audience that destruction is imminent. It's hard to avoid feeling the same general dread that permeates Linus's every action, as Byron's prose refuses to shield us from the sludge of everyday boredom.
The frantic final fifty pages feel predestined, an eerie echo of the unavoidable sequence at the end of Kafka's The Trial that the author said could have occurred at any point in the story. We are thrust into a chilling dementia as Linus suddenly attempts to assign meaning to all the nothingness of his life. The results are predictably disastrous, but at the book's bracing end, we are still as lost as Linus. We forget so easily whether we knew the big nothing was coming or not.
October 20, 2010
Let me begin by stating that I received The Wraith for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thanks to both Goodloe Byron and Goodreads for this book.
The Wraith is told from the point of view of Linus, an amazingly stupid but well meaning kid who has moved out of his parents' house for the first time. Linus has a big heart, but is incredibly lazy and directionless. He spends pretty much all day, every day drinking and getting high, all the while dragging himself to work and barely getting enough sleep to get by. I was torn between wanting to root for this kid and wanting to shake him, because he is one of those guys with potential written all over him. Linus is smart, charming, and very observant, yet he shirks from responsibility and consistently makes the worst choice possible.
So, amidst the massive amounts of alcohol and drugs Linus takes every day, he notices that things aren’t quite what they seem to be. The synopsis and Linus’s observations led me to believe something sinister was happening at the trailer park Linus has moved into. Linus believes something is amiss, and as the reader I was also pulled in that direction. But was it? As the book continued, it was becoming more and more possible that events and people seem out of sorts because Linus himself is out of sorts. And, lest you forget, incredibly intoxicated and sleep deprived. That is the beauty of The Wraith.
At its best, The Wraith reminded me of The Tell-Tale Heart and Crime and Punishment. Not the writing (no, as much as I like this book, it's no where near that good.) The themes of guilt and psychosis found in those books can also be found here. It is also quite like Seinfeld, in that it is extraordinarily engaging considering the amount of nothing which takes place. However, when I came to the end, I was disappointed. Let me clarify, the ending wasn’t unsatisfactory, but the ending did make me realize that the middle needed more to it.
The story is told through a stream of consciousness that is fairly easy to read and become engrossed in. This isn’t a confusing stream of consciousness writing that is reminiscent of William Faulkner. But Byron does jump very quickly from place, action, and dialogue; all the while refusing to use quotation marks or punctuation other than a period. Generally, I am not a fan of this writing style, but it worked here and allowed the reader to become more immersed in Linus' world.
A four star rating may be generous, but I truly enjoyed reading this, and this is one of those books that I definitely plan on reading again. Besides, even if the mystery and suspense aren’t as well formed or as well written as they could have been, Linus and his friends are simply fun to read about. Stupid, young boys acting like, well… stupid young boys =) While reading The Wraith, I felt a bit of nostalgia for the idiot boys I found so fascinating in highschool. I also had an urge to break out my old Dead Milkmen CD’s lol! Anyhow, this is absolutely a book I recommend.
The Wraith is told from the point of view of Linus, an amazingly stupid but well meaning kid who has moved out of his parents' house for the first time. Linus has a big heart, but is incredibly lazy and directionless. He spends pretty much all day, every day drinking and getting high, all the while dragging himself to work and barely getting enough sleep to get by. I was torn between wanting to root for this kid and wanting to shake him, because he is one of those guys with potential written all over him. Linus is smart, charming, and very observant, yet he shirks from responsibility and consistently makes the worst choice possible.
So, amidst the massive amounts of alcohol and drugs Linus takes every day, he notices that things aren’t quite what they seem to be. The synopsis and Linus’s observations led me to believe something sinister was happening at the trailer park Linus has moved into. Linus believes something is amiss, and as the reader I was also pulled in that direction. But was it? As the book continued, it was becoming more and more possible that events and people seem out of sorts because Linus himself is out of sorts. And, lest you forget, incredibly intoxicated and sleep deprived. That is the beauty of The Wraith.
At its best, The Wraith reminded me of The Tell-Tale Heart and Crime and Punishment. Not the writing (no, as much as I like this book, it's no where near that good.) The themes of guilt and psychosis found in those books can also be found here. It is also quite like Seinfeld, in that it is extraordinarily engaging considering the amount of nothing which takes place. However, when I came to the end, I was disappointed. Let me clarify, the ending wasn’t unsatisfactory, but the ending did make me realize that the middle needed more to it.
The story is told through a stream of consciousness that is fairly easy to read and become engrossed in. This isn’t a confusing stream of consciousness writing that is reminiscent of William Faulkner. But Byron does jump very quickly from place, action, and dialogue; all the while refusing to use quotation marks or punctuation other than a period. Generally, I am not a fan of this writing style, but it worked here and allowed the reader to become more immersed in Linus' world.
A four star rating may be generous, but I truly enjoyed reading this, and this is one of those books that I definitely plan on reading again. Besides, even if the mystery and suspense aren’t as well formed or as well written as they could have been, Linus and his friends are simply fun to read about. Stupid, young boys acting like, well… stupid young boys =) While reading The Wraith, I felt a bit of nostalgia for the idiot boys I found so fascinating in highschool. I also had an urge to break out my old Dead Milkmen CD’s lol! Anyhow, this is absolutely a book I recommend.
June 24, 2010
The Wraith (Goodloe Byron)
Linus decides to move out and into the trialer of his friend John. Life seems to be good; carefree, parties every night, easy job. But then Linus realises his life is not so perfect. His best friend Rex is missing, John starts hanging with a dangerous crowd, his job sucks and the creepy man (Clyde) across park seems to be stalking him.
Linus is on a mission to find out about Clyde, it becomes an obession and he is convinced Cylde is out to get him. Friendships fade, new ones begin, and love seems to be in the air. It is never a dull moment in his life, but soon Linus decides to alter the course of his life. A perfect ending to a fascinating read, one of my favorites by Goodloe Byron.
Linus decides to move out and into the trialer of his friend John. Life seems to be good; carefree, parties every night, easy job. But then Linus realises his life is not so perfect. His best friend Rex is missing, John starts hanging with a dangerous crowd, his job sucks and the creepy man (Clyde) across park seems to be stalking him.
Linus is on a mission to find out about Clyde, it becomes an obession and he is convinced Cylde is out to get him. Friendships fade, new ones begin, and love seems to be in the air. It is never a dull moment in his life, but soon Linus decides to alter the course of his life. A perfect ending to a fascinating read, one of my favorites by Goodloe Byron.
March 1, 2012
This book looks VERY interesting! I love the cover. I won it through a First Reads giveaway and can't wait to get it and to read it!
January 19, 2011
I believe I'm supposed to disclose that I received this book for free through the Goodreads first reads program.
That being said, I think that if I had picked this book up in a bookstore, my opinion would be different. I was determined to finish reading it without picking up another book mid-story, so I found myself feeling like I was trudging through it against my will. If I had read it at my own pace I might have liked it more, then again, I might not have ever finished it.
I really liked the free-form writing style, but the lack of quotation marks around dialog, with multiple characters speaking in the same paragraph really tripped me up. As other reviewers said, there were typos throughout, but nothing bad enough to lose the meaning of the sentence.
I found myself surprisingly connected to the characters, but the plot left something to be desired. When I put the book down last night all I could think was "seriously? That's the end?" and was convinced that pages were missing in my copy.
I hate to say it, but I just feel neutral about the book. It was okay, I don't regret reading it, but I don't think it's a story that I'd recommend to anyone I know. If you like reading about drinks, drugs, and trailer parks, and have no particular interest in an intriguing plot, this book would be good for you.
That being said, I think that if I had picked this book up in a bookstore, my opinion would be different. I was determined to finish reading it without picking up another book mid-story, so I found myself feeling like I was trudging through it against my will. If I had read it at my own pace I might have liked it more, then again, I might not have ever finished it.
I really liked the free-form writing style, but the lack of quotation marks around dialog, with multiple characters speaking in the same paragraph really tripped me up. As other reviewers said, there were typos throughout, but nothing bad enough to lose the meaning of the sentence.
I found myself surprisingly connected to the characters, but the plot left something to be desired. When I put the book down last night all I could think was "seriously? That's the end?" and was convinced that pages were missing in my copy.
I hate to say it, but I just feel neutral about the book. It was okay, I don't regret reading it, but I don't think it's a story that I'd recommend to anyone I know. If you like reading about drinks, drugs, and trailer parks, and have no particular interest in an intriguing plot, this book would be good for you.
January 4, 2011
I got this as a First Reads winner and was really excited (my first win!) The cover art is amazing and makes the book look so interesting.
The book itself had a terrible amount of grammatical errors and typos. In places it made the book hard to read. On top of that, dialogue didn't get quotes or line breaks, ever.
I found the story to be lackluster and a little confusing. And towards the middle of the book I found myself going "huh?" and "wtf?" very often. The characters were unbelievable. And there didn't seem to be any character growth at all. I understand the point of the story was to showcase an immature boy, but he was ridiculous.
The storyline with Clyde and everything made me want to pull my hair out. I sighed a lot during the last half of the book.
Saying all that, I had to finish the book because I had to know what happened. I'm not sure if that's a redeeming character of the book or if that's my personality.
The book itself had a terrible amount of grammatical errors and typos. In places it made the book hard to read. On top of that, dialogue didn't get quotes or line breaks, ever.
I found the story to be lackluster and a little confusing. And towards the middle of the book I found myself going "huh?" and "wtf?" very often. The characters were unbelievable. And there didn't seem to be any character growth at all. I understand the point of the story was to showcase an immature boy, but he was ridiculous.
The storyline with Clyde and everything made me want to pull my hair out. I sighed a lot during the last half of the book.
Saying all that, I had to finish the book because I had to know what happened. I'm not sure if that's a redeeming character of the book or if that's my personality.
September 24, 2022
WOW! I was given the opportunity to read Forestfall by Lyndall Clipstone Chapter Sampler on Netgalley. Thank you!
Based on the sampler alone, I'm looking forward to the entire book. I did read Lakesedge. I enjoy it but had some reservations about the repetitive moments. In the book I sense there will be more going on. I love the way I felt Rowen emotions. It's almost poetic too me the way Lyndall describes feelings of her characters. I hope Violeta (Leta) & Rowen both get what they deserve.
Rowen, is an amazing character. I see his development from having no care to how he is now. I can't wait to see it all spill out into this book.
I could be wrong but I feel the Lord Under has a bit of feelings for Leta. I can't wait to see what happens there.
Without giving out spoilers this feels like a 5 star read. My heart started thumping from anxiety. Will Leta get her answer to her question? What's on the other side?
In order to truly enjoy this book you must read the first book, Lakesedge to understand the premise of this sequel. The book starts off with the idea you read the first book.
There are over the counting finger, errors when it comes to spacing. Too many words stuck together and 3 words with too many spaces away from each other. That should be fixed once the finally copy comes out.
Thanks again for this sampler. #forestfallchaptersampler #Netgalley
Based on the sampler alone, I'm looking forward to the entire book. I did read Lakesedge. I enjoy it but had some reservations about the repetitive moments. In the book I sense there will be more going on. I love the way I felt Rowen emotions. It's almost poetic too me the way Lyndall describes feelings of her characters. I hope Violeta (Leta) & Rowen both get what they deserve.
Rowen, is an amazing character. I see his development from having no care to how he is now. I can't wait to see it all spill out into this book.
I could be wrong but I feel the Lord Under has a bit of feelings for Leta. I can't wait to see what happens there.
Without giving out spoilers this feels like a 5 star read. My heart started thumping from anxiety. Will Leta get her answer to her question? What's on the other side?
In order to truly enjoy this book you must read the first book, Lakesedge to understand the premise of this sequel. The book starts off with the idea you read the first book.
There are over the counting finger, errors when it comes to spacing. Too many words stuck together and 3 words with too many spaces away from each other. That should be fixed once the finally copy comes out.
Thanks again for this sampler. #forestfallchaptersampler #Netgalley
April 28, 2016
I received this copy from Byron in a giveaway quite a while ago, and he was very kind to sign it. To be honest, I had incredibly low expectations for this novel and the 300 pages looked daunting. Ultimately I wish I had read it as soon as it arrived as it pretty much blew my mind.
The summary above is a poor forewarning of what you're about to encounter. While all the statements are correct, this novel is much more ridiculous and intense than the summary suggests. Linus and his friends are lowlifes who get drunk and high with inhuman frequency and have such few concerns about their unavoidable responsibilities will cause most readers to guffaw in disbelief while their eyes continue to hungrily absorb more of the text.
The format will undoubtedly annoy some readers but personally it flowed so rapidly and drew me in even further. Byron completely ignored the age old rules regarding dialogue and chose to not include quotation marks and line breaks, yet surprisingly this distracted me very little and only twice did I have to reread a section to be sure I was correctly understanding who said what. I've never seen this before yet it fits perfectly with the general theme and especially Linus' character; jumbled and flowing aimlessly one way then another. I also especially appreciated the frequent breaks in text between one blip to the next which allowed me to stop whenever I pleased instead of pushing on to the next chapter as I tend to do.
The character development—or undevelopment, hah—was truly great. Byron refrains from outright describing the characters and instead you come to know Linus and everyone he encounters quite well through their misadventures. Though the physical descriptors are essentially not there at all, you really get a good grasp on their personalities in such a way that's rare.
The actual plot of this novel slowly creeps up on you while you're up to your neck in Linus' inebriated adventures—which never get old or repetitive by the way, thanks to Byron's very tasteful word choice and dry sarcasm which I couldn't get enough of—and is drawn out over the 300 pages. I feel that it was woven into the story in such a way that once you hit the rising action it's like a shock to the system. All the sudden, shit gets real and Linus has to man up or go insane over the mystery while his friends continue their crazed escapades. As I approached the conclusion, I still had no guesses to how it all would end but I was not disappointed in the least. I felt it paralleled the lost Linus you come to know very intimately, so when you close the back cover you yourself will feel as if you've just stepped off the crazy train back to reality.
That was some trip. Thank you for your generosity; this copy will be forcibly passed onto my reading friends who will hopefully enjoy the wild ride just as much as I did.
The summary above is a poor forewarning of what you're about to encounter. While all the statements are correct, this novel is much more ridiculous and intense than the summary suggests. Linus and his friends are lowlifes who get drunk and high with inhuman frequency and have such few concerns about their unavoidable responsibilities will cause most readers to guffaw in disbelief while their eyes continue to hungrily absorb more of the text.
The format will undoubtedly annoy some readers but personally it flowed so rapidly and drew me in even further. Byron completely ignored the age old rules regarding dialogue and chose to not include quotation marks and line breaks, yet surprisingly this distracted me very little and only twice did I have to reread a section to be sure I was correctly understanding who said what. I've never seen this before yet it fits perfectly with the general theme and especially Linus' character; jumbled and flowing aimlessly one way then another. I also especially appreciated the frequent breaks in text between one blip to the next which allowed me to stop whenever I pleased instead of pushing on to the next chapter as I tend to do.
The character development—or undevelopment, hah—was truly great. Byron refrains from outright describing the characters and instead you come to know Linus and everyone he encounters quite well through their misadventures. Though the physical descriptors are essentially not there at all, you really get a good grasp on their personalities in such a way that's rare.
The actual plot of this novel slowly creeps up on you while you're up to your neck in Linus' inebriated adventures—which never get old or repetitive by the way, thanks to Byron's very tasteful word choice and dry sarcasm which I couldn't get enough of—and is drawn out over the 300 pages. I feel that it was woven into the story in such a way that once you hit the rising action it's like a shock to the system. All the sudden, shit gets real and Linus has to man up or go insane over the mystery while his friends continue their crazed escapades. As I approached the conclusion, I still had no guesses to how it all would end but I was not disappointed in the least. I felt it paralleled the lost Linus you come to know very intimately, so when you close the back cover you yourself will feel as if you've just stepped off the crazy train back to reality.
That was some trip. Thank you for your generosity; this copy will be forcibly passed onto my reading friends who will hopefully enjoy the wild ride just as much as I did.
November 23, 2010
Remember that movie BUG, that was not really about bugs at all but about intense, life-destroying paranoia? The Wraith reminded me of BUG a lot, in both theme and level of frustration.
I knew from the dedication to Saramago that this book would be difficult to get through. From what I remember of BLINDNESS, I loved the premise, liked parts of the story, and struggled with the narrative style. Byron adopts the most frustrating aspect of Saramago's style here: choosing not to offset his character's dialogue by quotation marks or paragraph breaks/indentations.
Here's my beef with this choice: it has to have a reason in order to work. I found no reason here. As readers, our brains are trained to look for certain cues to tell us how to read, so when you subvert or purposely sabotage those cues, you damn well better be making some sort of thematic or philosophical statement or something that justifies us having to do all this extra work.
The second problem with this narrative style is that it turns all would-be scenes into summary, like so: "Though he had made a significant effort to rally his spirits and ride with them and get drunk and so forth, Linus kept nodding off where he stood. Evidently at some point he was drunk enough that he had passed out between the kitchen and the living room"(39). What a delightful scene that could have made, had it been demonstrated rather than told to us! (The whole book is like this, even the motivations and feelings of all characters are simply told to us.)
So where this book slumps is in the narrative style and the pacing (the first playing a big part in the latter). But there were some likable first-name-only characters to be found (John, for example), and the setting and "lovable wastoids" (to borrow 80s movie terminology) story was entertaining....it just went on for way too long, so that by the time we really get into the meat of Linus's obsession with Clyde, I kind of didn't really care.
THE WRAITH. It's like that movie BUG, but for like 6 to 8 hours longer.
*I got this book through Goodread's First Reads thingy. Yay!*
I knew from the dedication to Saramago that this book would be difficult to get through. From what I remember of BLINDNESS, I loved the premise, liked parts of the story, and struggled with the narrative style. Byron adopts the most frustrating aspect of Saramago's style here: choosing not to offset his character's dialogue by quotation marks or paragraph breaks/indentations.
Here's my beef with this choice: it has to have a reason in order to work. I found no reason here. As readers, our brains are trained to look for certain cues to tell us how to read, so when you subvert or purposely sabotage those cues, you damn well better be making some sort of thematic or philosophical statement or something that justifies us having to do all this extra work.
The second problem with this narrative style is that it turns all would-be scenes into summary, like so: "Though he had made a significant effort to rally his spirits and ride with them and get drunk and so forth, Linus kept nodding off where he stood. Evidently at some point he was drunk enough that he had passed out between the kitchen and the living room"(39). What a delightful scene that could have made, had it been demonstrated rather than told to us! (The whole book is like this, even the motivations and feelings of all characters are simply told to us.)
So where this book slumps is in the narrative style and the pacing (the first playing a big part in the latter). But there were some likable first-name-only characters to be found (John, for example), and the setting and "lovable wastoids" (to borrow 80s movie terminology) story was entertaining....it just went on for way too long, so that by the time we really get into the meat of Linus's obsession with Clyde, I kind of didn't really care.
THE WRAITH. It's like that movie BUG, but for like 6 to 8 hours longer.
*I got this book through Goodread's First Reads thingy. Yay!*
January 6, 2011
UGH!!! I just wrote my review and somehow it disappeared! Now, I'm going to try again.
Okay, I think the biggest thing that struck me about this book was the writing style. It was very loosely written and it took me a while to get used to that - it was almost like I was reading the story as someone was recounting it - a rather free style of writing. If you aren't used to that style of writing, it may take you a while to get into the book. I also think that this is one of those books that you will either like, or you will just not get into. I didn't think I was going to like it at first, but it didn't take me long to realize that I just kept turning pages and reading more about Linus and his first real quest in life. I was sucked in.
Linus moves into his friend's trailer and out of his parents' house. He has good intentions and is of decent intelligence, but I don't believe that anyone has ever tried to direct those attributes to anything worthwhile (including his parents). Linus believes that his new life in the trailer will be bliss - no rules, no one telling him what to do, all the drinking and drugs he can consume and possibly some sexual encounters - if he's lucky. This is where the story stalled a bit. Linus continues to drink, do drugs, flounder around, and become obsessed with his creepy neighbor. Finally, though, the story picks up once Linus realizes that there has to be more to life than this trailer park drunk fest that he's been living. He is thrown a curve ball that throws everything out of whack, and it left me feeling a bit like I had just run into a wall while I was walking and not paying attention.
I liked Linus - the character development was good - I felt like I could get a handle on him (most of the time). Initially, I thought, "Really? Do people really do this?" But, then I realized - look at most college campuses and you'll plenty of directionless drunken kids running around. Maybe it's a right of passage for some. He seemed believable to me, a bit frustrating, but believable.
I look forward to reading more by Goodloe Byron and I will recommend this book others.
Okay, I think the biggest thing that struck me about this book was the writing style. It was very loosely written and it took me a while to get used to that - it was almost like I was reading the story as someone was recounting it - a rather free style of writing. If you aren't used to that style of writing, it may take you a while to get into the book. I also think that this is one of those books that you will either like, or you will just not get into. I didn't think I was going to like it at first, but it didn't take me long to realize that I just kept turning pages and reading more about Linus and his first real quest in life. I was sucked in.
Linus moves into his friend's trailer and out of his parents' house. He has good intentions and is of decent intelligence, but I don't believe that anyone has ever tried to direct those attributes to anything worthwhile (including his parents). Linus believes that his new life in the trailer will be bliss - no rules, no one telling him what to do, all the drinking and drugs he can consume and possibly some sexual encounters - if he's lucky. This is where the story stalled a bit. Linus continues to drink, do drugs, flounder around, and become obsessed with his creepy neighbor. Finally, though, the story picks up once Linus realizes that there has to be more to life than this trailer park drunk fest that he's been living. He is thrown a curve ball that throws everything out of whack, and it left me feeling a bit like I had just run into a wall while I was walking and not paying attention.
I liked Linus - the character development was good - I felt like I could get a handle on him (most of the time). Initially, I thought, "Really? Do people really do this?" But, then I realized - look at most college campuses and you'll plenty of directionless drunken kids running around. Maybe it's a right of passage for some. He seemed believable to me, a bit frustrating, but believable.
I look forward to reading more by Goodloe Byron and I will recommend this book others.
November 19, 2010
I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads Contest on 11/01/2010 and received my copy on 11/16/2010.
To say that Goodloe Byron is an unconventional writer would be a bit of an understatement. Then again, from what I've read of Byron, he's an unconventional sort of man himself which explains his style of writing. I just started reading The Wraith about 30 minutes ago and at this point I have discovered a random fact about myself - I like quotation marks. I'm assuming that Goodloe Byron does not like them because there isn't a set of them throughout the entire book. I looked. For some reason, I can't focus on the story - all I can see is where quotation marks need to be. My weird fascination with needing quotation marks isn't Byron's fault and I'll just have to pencil them in, in my head, as I jump back into Linus' story.
Wow. I just finished reading ... I don't really know how to feel about The Wraith. I liked it because it was so different but then I didn't like it ... because it was so different. The story line was really confusing at first because you didn't know if people were talking or thinking the things that were being said and you really don't get "introduced" to a character - they are just thrown into the story and hopefully you can figure out within a few pages, who it is to Linus. About halfway through the book things really slowed down and I started to become annoyed not only with the lack of quotation marks but also the way the story doesn't follow a pattern. It jumps from one thought to the next and reminded me of my 3 year old son's short attention span.
All of that being said, I didn't hate the book. But I didn't like it either. I wouldn't turn down a free copy from Goodloe Byron, but I might not read it. I do have a bit of a side note - Goodloe Byron wrote a little something for me in the front of the book and he has the most amazing handwriting! It's weird and quirky, just like how I imagine Byron is. Now, if the book was handwritten - I would really want to read it just to see that amazing handwriting!
To say that Goodloe Byron is an unconventional writer would be a bit of an understatement. Then again, from what I've read of Byron, he's an unconventional sort of man himself which explains his style of writing. I just started reading The Wraith about 30 minutes ago and at this point I have discovered a random fact about myself - I like quotation marks. I'm assuming that Goodloe Byron does not like them because there isn't a set of them throughout the entire book. I looked. For some reason, I can't focus on the story - all I can see is where quotation marks need to be. My weird fascination with needing quotation marks isn't Byron's fault and I'll just have to pencil them in, in my head, as I jump back into Linus' story.
Wow. I just finished reading ... I don't really know how to feel about The Wraith. I liked it because it was so different but then I didn't like it ... because it was so different. The story line was really confusing at first because you didn't know if people were talking or thinking the things that were being said and you really don't get "introduced" to a character - they are just thrown into the story and hopefully you can figure out within a few pages, who it is to Linus. About halfway through the book things really slowed down and I started to become annoyed not only with the lack of quotation marks but also the way the story doesn't follow a pattern. It jumps from one thought to the next and reminded me of my 3 year old son's short attention span.
All of that being said, I didn't hate the book. But I didn't like it either. I wouldn't turn down a free copy from Goodloe Byron, but I might not read it. I do have a bit of a side note - Goodloe Byron wrote a little something for me in the front of the book and he has the most amazing handwriting! It's weird and quirky, just like how I imagine Byron is. Now, if the book was handwritten - I would really want to read it just to see that amazing handwriting!
May 2, 2011
I received this book via a Goodreads giveaway. This was an interesting book, written by an apparently interesting author. I do have to complain about the lack of quotation marks, I just really don't ever feel that is justified. The character of Linus and his and his friends' lifestyles seemed very real and believable. Even though not a lot happens, I was drawn into Linus' life. However, I found the ending to be just a bit to open-ended and unexplained for me to feel satisfied with this book. (I revised my rating from 3 stars to 4 after researching Goodloe Byron a bit and reading a few interviews, which I think gave me a better understanding of the book. It's still a bit odd, though.)
I greatly appreciated the author's personalized note but I am intrigued by the author's mission to give away his books and in that spirit plan to leave my copy somewhere to be found.
I greatly appreciated the author's personalized note but I am intrigued by the author's mission to give away his books and in that spirit plan to leave my copy somewhere to be found.
October 4, 2010
Linus decides to move in with his friend John . Life seems to be good he has an easy job, parties everynight, a carefree life. But than Linus realizes life isn,t perfect,Rex his best friend is missing. John is hanging with a dangerous crowd, his job really sucks and Clyde the creepy guy across the parking lot seems to be stalking him. So Linus is on a mission to find out something about Clyde, It has become Linus; mission and it turns into an obsession now he,s convinced Clyde is out to get him, Love seems to be in the air, Friendships fade, New one,s begin it,s never a dull moment in his life.But Linus soon decides to alter the course of his life. A fantastic ending to a perfect read. Can,t wait to read more books by this author.
September 18, 2010
Hooray! I won another book on Goodreads!! This is my second win.
The book reminded me of a "Cheech and Chong" movie...lots of drinking and drugging by likeable characters. I've just read the other goodreads comments, and agree with the reader who wrote that it didn't really get interesting until 2/3 through the book.
The main character's mom and dad were interesting. Even though their son had moved out, was drunk all the time and lost his job, they were still telling him how wonderful he was and how proud he made them!
It was not my usual read, but I enjoyed reading something (quite a bit) different.
The book reminded me of a "Cheech and Chong" movie...lots of drinking and drugging by likeable characters. I've just read the other goodreads comments, and agree with the reader who wrote that it didn't really get interesting until 2/3 through the book.
The main character's mom and dad were interesting. Even though their son had moved out, was drunk all the time and lost his job, they were still telling him how wonderful he was and how proud he made them!
It was not my usual read, but I enjoyed reading something (quite a bit) different.
September 14, 2010
Goodloe Byron has a unique writing style and this book showed it off well. We get to know Linus, a young man from a rough background who is venturing off on his own for the first time. He moves in with friends, gets high too much, and begins to lose his way. Deep down, Linus is a good kid. He tries doing the right thing but that doesn't often work out for him. Add in a pretty girl and a creepy neighbor and you have Byron at his best.
March 3, 2017
Years ago, in another lifetime, I went to one of the nation's largest literary conferences. One of the best parts of the conference was buying books. This was one of the books I took home. I wish I could remember if I met Goodloe, or if the book was just on a table. It has sat on my shelf for six years before I finally picked it up because I didn't have any context, and I was suspicious. I loved the reasons why someone may give their books away for free, but my cynical side, the side that is a member of a capitalist society, wondered what the catch was...
I am happy to say that this book was pretty satisfying, despite my suspicions. I haven't read anything like this by contemporary writers in a long time. This book was unsettling not necessarily because of its content, but the fact that it makes you question your own perception of reality. The book focuses on Linus, a young man who has moved out on his own for the first time. Linus has no stability in his life, moving from job to job with little to no fear about the future. While he seemed like a goofy party animal before moving out, his roommate pressures him to drink constantly and smoke marijuana. He is also asked to smoke "brown powder" which sounds like heroin, but didn't seem to have a similar effect in the book. Linus' life is unstable on the outside, but he and his friends seem to have a generally good time.
However, something happens. I'm not sure we are supposed to understand the explanation: psychological, supernatural, something else ... But this book presents Linus during this part of his life slowly and subtly. In the beginning of the book, I didn't have trouble understanding who was saying what, despite the fact the author chose not to use quotations. As you move forward in the book and Linus experiences a breakdown, this starts to bleed together, and you're never sure who is saying/thinking what.
In the beginning of the book Linus and his friends seem bothered by a neighbor. But, as the book goes on, Linus starts to see the man everywhere. The man seems to supersede human capabilities by this point in the book. So, is Linus hallucinating? Is the man some supernatural or undead being? Or is Linus such an unreliable narrator that we just can't understand what was going on?
This book would have been simple if several characters did not verify what Linus was experiencing throughout the book. Although these characters were often unreliable, it was easier to believe they were all experiencing the same thing - truth in numbers, something like that. But, it begs the question, was Linus perceiving what they said accurately, or was his mind (or something else) twisting their words?
Linus' parents are also concerned and believe he is losing his mind. As he moves away from his friend group, other people start to perceive something off about Linus and his humor.
This book had just enough things that were "off" to make you question what was happening .. but just enough that seemed "on" or grounded in reality to make you doubt yourself.
This was my first year working with clients who are psychotic. Traditionally, psychosis was perceived to be a difficulty with subjectivity - people were unable to know where they ended and others began. I perceived this book in this way -- a confused narrative of a young man who, for whatever reasons, had loose boundaries.
You would think the tone of the book would be frightening, but it wasn't, per-say. He and his friends had funny moments. On paper the humor in this book would be obnoxious to me, especially since all of Linus' friends use it. But who is really talking throughout the whole novel? Toward the end, I wasn't afraid, but nervous and apprehensive. Something wasn't right and something bad was going to happen. What would it be?
The ending of the book left few answers and was as unsettling as the breakdown. A good way to end such a head-scratcher.
A charming book with existential undertones that shocked me in ho wmuch I liked it.
I am happy to say that this book was pretty satisfying, despite my suspicions. I haven't read anything like this by contemporary writers in a long time. This book was unsettling not necessarily because of its content, but the fact that it makes you question your own perception of reality. The book focuses on Linus, a young man who has moved out on his own for the first time. Linus has no stability in his life, moving from job to job with little to no fear about the future. While he seemed like a goofy party animal before moving out, his roommate pressures him to drink constantly and smoke marijuana. He is also asked to smoke "brown powder" which sounds like heroin, but didn't seem to have a similar effect in the book. Linus' life is unstable on the outside, but he and his friends seem to have a generally good time.
However, something happens. I'm not sure we are supposed to understand the explanation: psychological, supernatural, something else ... But this book presents Linus during this part of his life slowly and subtly. In the beginning of the book, I didn't have trouble understanding who was saying what, despite the fact the author chose not to use quotations. As you move forward in the book and Linus experiences a breakdown, this starts to bleed together, and you're never sure who is saying/thinking what.
In the beginning of the book Linus and his friends seem bothered by a neighbor. But, as the book goes on, Linus starts to see the man everywhere. The man seems to supersede human capabilities by this point in the book. So, is Linus hallucinating? Is the man some supernatural or undead being? Or is Linus such an unreliable narrator that we just can't understand what was going on?
This book would have been simple if several characters did not verify what Linus was experiencing throughout the book. Although these characters were often unreliable, it was easier to believe they were all experiencing the same thing - truth in numbers, something like that. But, it begs the question, was Linus perceiving what they said accurately, or was his mind (or something else) twisting their words?
Linus' parents are also concerned and believe he is losing his mind. As he moves away from his friend group, other people start to perceive something off about Linus and his humor.
This book had just enough things that were "off" to make you question what was happening .. but just enough that seemed "on" or grounded in reality to make you doubt yourself.
This was my first year working with clients who are psychotic. Traditionally, psychosis was perceived to be a difficulty with subjectivity - people were unable to know where they ended and others began. I perceived this book in this way -- a confused narrative of a young man who, for whatever reasons, had loose boundaries.
You would think the tone of the book would be frightening, but it wasn't, per-say. He and his friends had funny moments. On paper the humor in this book would be obnoxious to me, especially since all of Linus' friends use it. But who is really talking throughout the whole novel? Toward the end, I wasn't afraid, but nervous and apprehensive. Something wasn't right and something bad was going to happen. What would it be?
The ending of the book left few answers and was as unsettling as the breakdown. A good way to end such a head-scratcher.
A charming book with existential undertones that shocked me in ho wmuch I liked it.
April 4, 2019
Now, this is a quirky little novel that if I hadn't gone browsing in my "leave one, take one" library I would not have found. I doubt that any official library has it although I could b mistaken.
It turns out to be a self-published book by Goodloe Byron. I didn't figure this out even with the testimonials at the front of the book. There was that 'book for free" feel to those, but I thought that this was likely satire. imagine my surprise when I finished the book and turned in face down and say the price tag. Just as clear as day it reads $0.00 withe the word "free" written underneath that.
To call this novel disturbing doesn't even begin to describe it. It concerns a teenager (about) 19) that moves away from home to get freedom. What he does with that freedom involves sex, drugs and lots of alcohol and a tiny bit of sporadic work.
The really disturbing part is that he develops an obsession with a neighbor that proves to be unhealthy for all concerned. It ends on a very disturbing note indeed.
It turns out to be a self-published book by Goodloe Byron. I didn't figure this out even with the testimonials at the front of the book. There was that 'book for free" feel to those, but I thought that this was likely satire. imagine my surprise when I finished the book and turned in face down and say the price tag. Just as clear as day it reads $0.00 withe the word "free" written underneath that.
To call this novel disturbing doesn't even begin to describe it. It concerns a teenager (about) 19) that moves away from home to get freedom. What he does with that freedom involves sex, drugs and lots of alcohol and a tiny bit of sporadic work.
The really disturbing part is that he develops an obsession with a neighbor that proves to be unhealthy for all concerned. It ends on a very disturbing note indeed.
April 8, 2022
This review just covers a sample of the book Lyndall Clipstone is a Gothic literature writer and her target reader is young women and especially when the girls love monsters. The sample takes on the appearance of a piece of poetry, which is beautiful, but limits my review. I loved the prose so much that looked into the actual book, happy me, I actually own it. The opening lines drew me in;
"I was the monster in the world"
"I as the monster in the woods"
Lyndall Clipston is gifted with rounding out the characters and the scents fill my body,
"The air is filled with the faded scents. Beneath that, a hint of old blood."
Thank you Macmillian Children's Publishing Group, Lyndall Clipstone, aand NetGalley for giving an opportunity to read these beautiful words, in return for an honest review.
#McMillianChildrensPublishingGroup
#ForestFall ChapterSampler
#NetGalley
"I was the monster in the world"
"I as the monster in the woods"
Lyndall Clipston is gifted with rounding out the characters and the scents fill my body,
"The air is filled with the faded scents. Beneath that, a hint of old blood."
Thank you Macmillian Children's Publishing Group, Lyndall Clipstone, aand NetGalley for giving an opportunity to read these beautiful words, in return for an honest review.
#McMillianChildrensPublishingGroup
#ForestFall ChapterSampler
#NetGalley
July 11, 2022
Initially, when I started reading this I did not realize it was a sequel. My first reaction was I felt like I was picking up in the middle of a story and not a beginning. I was very lost and could not understand what was going on. I have a feeling I need to have read the first book to understand what is going on in these few chapters.
I received this sampler in my OwlCrate box. All opinions are 100% my own.
I received this sampler in my OwlCrate box. All opinions are 100% my own.
April 10, 2022
I love this story and I loved getting to dive back into the world of Lakesedge! Even if this was just a sample, I loved every word of it and can’t wait to read the rest of the story!
September 4, 2011
This book was not what I expected. Unfortunately, that was a bad thing in this case. The title suggested a paranormal tale. Dictionary.com defines the word, "wraith" as " an apparition of a living person supposed to portend his death" or "a visible spirit". I love the title and the cover art. It was just a bit old fashioned and gave it a spooky feel right from the start.
I really wanted to like this book. I put it on the top of my "to read" pile because it was mailed to me directly by the author. Normally, books are mailed out by the publisher. I really respect the efforts that authors make over and above what the publisher is doing to promote their book. After writing my review and reading the reviews from others, it appears you either love this book or you don't. I didn't.
The first two thirds of the book involve a detailed description of the life and times of Linus. He spends most of his time drunk, stoned or both. The rest of the time he is planning to get drunk or stoned. A lot of time is given to sarcastic, immature conversations with his friends. The 'wraith", Clyde, makes an occasional appearance in this part of the book, but he appears to be a lonely little man who entertains himself by spying on Linus and his friends as they proceed to get stoned.
In the last third of the book Clyde pops up in various locations during Linus's daily routine. Clyde does nothing overtly scary or otherworldly. This set Linus off on a paranoid, sleep deprived mission to follow Clyde. He does this for days. Again, this journey is described in minute detail. The book ends suddenly with many issues left unresolved. It appears as if the author got bored with his own story and decided to end it. There just isn't much of a story here.
I think, with some work, that this could be an interesting story. The writing is good. It is easy to read and very descriptive. It has a nice flow to it. It needs a lot of cutting and a better ending. Tie up those loose ends! Such as what happened to Rex, who has the money and why did Linus move from the trailer into a basement apartment? What is the purpose of the job at the shoe store? Make this more clear to your reader, instead of appearing as random, unnecessary details. Give the characters some more dimension, instead of just appearing to be stoned teenagers looking for the next party.
I'd skip this book for now, but I would definitely read a second effort by this author. With a pen name like Goodloe Byron, how could you not give him a second chance?
Thanks to Goodloe and GoodReads for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I really wanted to like this book. I put it on the top of my "to read" pile because it was mailed to me directly by the author. Normally, books are mailed out by the publisher. I really respect the efforts that authors make over and above what the publisher is doing to promote their book. After writing my review and reading the reviews from others, it appears you either love this book or you don't. I didn't.
The first two thirds of the book involve a detailed description of the life and times of Linus. He spends most of his time drunk, stoned or both. The rest of the time he is planning to get drunk or stoned. A lot of time is given to sarcastic, immature conversations with his friends. The 'wraith", Clyde, makes an occasional appearance in this part of the book, but he appears to be a lonely little man who entertains himself by spying on Linus and his friends as they proceed to get stoned.
In the last third of the book Clyde pops up in various locations during Linus's daily routine. Clyde does nothing overtly scary or otherworldly. This set Linus off on a paranoid, sleep deprived mission to follow Clyde. He does this for days. Again, this journey is described in minute detail. The book ends suddenly with many issues left unresolved. It appears as if the author got bored with his own story and decided to end it. There just isn't much of a story here.
I think, with some work, that this could be an interesting story. The writing is good. It is easy to read and very descriptive. It has a nice flow to it. It needs a lot of cutting and a better ending. Tie up those loose ends! Such as what happened to Rex, who has the money and why did Linus move from the trailer into a basement apartment? What is the purpose of the job at the shoe store? Make this more clear to your reader, instead of appearing as random, unnecessary details. Give the characters some more dimension, instead of just appearing to be stoned teenagers looking for the next party.
I'd skip this book for now, but I would definitely read a second effort by this author. With a pen name like Goodloe Byron, how could you not give him a second chance?
Thanks to Goodloe and GoodReads for the opportunity to read and review this book.
February 5, 2015
For a book whose marketing strategy is to be given out for free, it's not terrible. The writing is good, and the plot is tolerable. But it's nothing I'd ever rave about. It doesn't have the pull to keep you itching for what happens next if you ever put it down.
Linus is a nineteen year old slacker, junkie, drunk trying to make just enough to cover his most base necessities, which prioritizes alcohol and cigarettes over any sort of real food. He is often put in weird situations where he's peer pressured into drinking and taking substances he would prefer not to. At one point he steals a whole lot of money from his supposed stalker, Clyde, and the rest of the novel is him running around thinking he's going to get killed, which would make this a thriller if most of the time wasn't spent on nothing happening.
Most of the story focuses on the lull between events, with Linus trying to keep a job or keep in contact with friends or keep his hangovers in check. You don't get any sense of magical realism until Linus starts stalking Clyde back, and even that was a whole lot of nothing happening. Honestly, there was no reason for the author to keep Clyde's paranormal status a secret for so long when the title of the book is called The Wraith (ie The Ghost). For all the nothing that happens, the ending was definitely rushed.
One of the technical issues in the book is the absence of quotations for dialogue. Everything is mashed into paragraphs, and it takes a bit of deciphering to figure out who's doing the speaking.
Like I said before, it's an okay read overall. The pacing feels like real life (ie slow), but the content can be relatable. It's basically a New Adult novel about how shitty it feels to want to enjoy debauchery while having to pay the bills. And also a stalker ghost.
As a side note, if you ever read the horror novel John Dies at the End, The Wraith reads like an alternate universe where the two main characters never get intimately involved with all Hell breaking loose. The humor is the same, as are the personalities. You even have a hint of the Hell they're missing out on with the magical realism. The similarities are freaky.
Linus is a nineteen year old slacker, junkie, drunk trying to make just enough to cover his most base necessities, which prioritizes alcohol and cigarettes over any sort of real food. He is often put in weird situations where he's peer pressured into drinking and taking substances he would prefer not to. At one point he steals a whole lot of money from his supposed stalker, Clyde, and the rest of the novel is him running around thinking he's going to get killed, which would make this a thriller if most of the time wasn't spent on nothing happening.
Most of the story focuses on the lull between events, with Linus trying to keep a job or keep in contact with friends or keep his hangovers in check. You don't get any sense of magical realism until Linus starts stalking Clyde back, and even that was a whole lot of nothing happening. Honestly, there was no reason for the author to keep Clyde's paranormal status a secret for so long when the title of the book is called The Wraith (ie The Ghost). For all the nothing that happens, the ending was definitely rushed.
One of the technical issues in the book is the absence of quotations for dialogue. Everything is mashed into paragraphs, and it takes a bit of deciphering to figure out who's doing the speaking.
Like I said before, it's an okay read overall. The pacing feels like real life (ie slow), but the content can be relatable. It's basically a New Adult novel about how shitty it feels to want to enjoy debauchery while having to pay the bills. And also a stalker ghost.
As a side note, if you ever read the horror novel John Dies at the End, The Wraith reads like an alternate universe where the two main characters never get intimately involved with all Hell breaking loose. The humor is the same, as are the personalities. You even have a hint of the Hell they're missing out on with the magical realism. The similarities are freaky.
October 10, 2011
Goodloe Byron may not be the best author writing fiction today, but he may be one of the more interesting. Although this novel is highly derivative (drawing most heavily from Crime and Punishment and Fight Club) and refuses to use quotation marks, Byron's mission to spread his work in a novel way, by traveling the country giving his book away freely, made it worth the read through.
In short, I wanted to get into this rebel's mind, and the best passages of this text are those where Byron seems to let us into the sometimes perverse, yet always clever quips of the young and disinterested. Byron's clumsy attempt to infuse his story with tension and magical realism, only causes the reader to yearn for something more genuine.
The lack of proper punctuation (likely fueled by a desire to keep page length to a minimum) functions on one level to draw you into the text, giving it a Garcia Marquez sort of streaming consciousness, but overall only makes the reading more difficult. It may have been better to edit out some of the long and repetitive sequences in which the main character's bent lifestyle is established through twenty vignettes ping ponging between his time spent idling in a stupor at a gas station, and his time spent evading sober consciousness with his "friend" and drug-abuse sponsor in their communal trailer.
If you are interested in hearing the ideas of a man willing to sacrifice to have them heard, I would suggest giving one of his other novels a shot. But, in the end, it was a quick read, and left me feeling that although it was probably about as good for me intellectually as eating a bag of potato chips is health-wise, I enjoyed my stay in Byron's demented little world.
Much love and respect to an author making it happen for themself, and smirking in the face of cultural normalcy. We need more authors like Byron, willing to give of themselves for the sake of the art and for that sake alone; exercising their craft within a new cultural paradigm of freedom of information. I wish Byron all the best as he continues to separate his value from commodity culture.
In short, I wanted to get into this rebel's mind, and the best passages of this text are those where Byron seems to let us into the sometimes perverse, yet always clever quips of the young and disinterested. Byron's clumsy attempt to infuse his story with tension and magical realism, only causes the reader to yearn for something more genuine.
The lack of proper punctuation (likely fueled by a desire to keep page length to a minimum) functions on one level to draw you into the text, giving it a Garcia Marquez sort of streaming consciousness, but overall only makes the reading more difficult. It may have been better to edit out some of the long and repetitive sequences in which the main character's bent lifestyle is established through twenty vignettes ping ponging between his time spent idling in a stupor at a gas station, and his time spent evading sober consciousness with his "friend" and drug-abuse sponsor in their communal trailer.
If you are interested in hearing the ideas of a man willing to sacrifice to have them heard, I would suggest giving one of his other novels a shot. But, in the end, it was a quick read, and left me feeling that although it was probably about as good for me intellectually as eating a bag of potato chips is health-wise, I enjoyed my stay in Byron's demented little world.
Much love and respect to an author making it happen for themself, and smirking in the face of cultural normalcy. We need more authors like Byron, willing to give of themselves for the sake of the art and for that sake alone; exercising their craft within a new cultural paradigm of freedom of information. I wish Byron all the best as he continues to separate his value from commodity culture.
October 24, 2010
I won this book from Goodreads first read program and want to than Goodloe Byron for sending me a copy of this book!
This story is told thru the eyes of Linus, he is a young man who has been living at home with his parents, he decides to house sit, or in this case trailer sit for his friend John and while doing so decides he will move in with John. It becomes a drinking , pot smoking good time for all. There always seems to be people ready to have a good time at the trailer. In the beginning Linus loved it, but after a friend comes up missing, and his hours being cut at work, not to mention he thinks is creepy neighbor Clyde might be watching him, the lifestyle soon wears on him.
When Linus breaks into Clyde's trailer home, he finds a bag of money hidden in the sofa, when Linus takes the money and buries most of it, he seems to stop caring about work altogether, soon losing his job, but soon what he stole is stolen from him, which makes him more paranoid than ever!
This was a story about four young men, Linus wasn't even of age, drinking partying and generally having a good time. I think that Linus must have been a stable kid before he moved into the trailer, because his former boss spoke highly of him, and overall I think he is a good kid, he just let poor choices take his life in a bad direction. Just when he seems like he is getting his life together, he got a job in a shoe store, and found a better living environment, another twist was thrown in that was unexpected, and an ending that left me with more questions than answers, but somehow I expected that!
Not my normal style of book, but overall I really enjoyed it, there was a great cast of characters a bit of mystery and suspense and offbeat humor. I would caution there is alot of drug and alcohol use along with some sexual situations. This book isn't for everyone but for me it was just offbeat and weird enough that I really enjoyed it!
This story is told thru the eyes of Linus, he is a young man who has been living at home with his parents, he decides to house sit, or in this case trailer sit for his friend John and while doing so decides he will move in with John. It becomes a drinking , pot smoking good time for all. There always seems to be people ready to have a good time at the trailer. In the beginning Linus loved it, but after a friend comes up missing, and his hours being cut at work, not to mention he thinks is creepy neighbor Clyde might be watching him, the lifestyle soon wears on him.
When Linus breaks into Clyde's trailer home, he finds a bag of money hidden in the sofa, when Linus takes the money and buries most of it, he seems to stop caring about work altogether, soon losing his job, but soon what he stole is stolen from him, which makes him more paranoid than ever!
This was a story about four young men, Linus wasn't even of age, drinking partying and generally having a good time. I think that Linus must have been a stable kid before he moved into the trailer, because his former boss spoke highly of him, and overall I think he is a good kid, he just let poor choices take his life in a bad direction. Just when he seems like he is getting his life together, he got a job in a shoe store, and found a better living environment, another twist was thrown in that was unexpected, and an ending that left me with more questions than answers, but somehow I expected that!
Not my normal style of book, but overall I really enjoyed it, there was a great cast of characters a bit of mystery and suspense and offbeat humor. I would caution there is alot of drug and alcohol use along with some sexual situations. This book isn't for everyone but for me it was just offbeat and weird enough that I really enjoyed it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2011
Disclosure: I received this book for free through the GoodReads "First Reads" program.
As others have said, I'm torn between liking and disliking this book. I did enjoy the unique writing style, and genuinely liked Linus, but I do have some gripes with the book -- specifically with the unique approach to dialogue (I'll admit, the lack of quotations did confuse me at times re: which character said what). I don't know if I'd have ever finished this book had I acquired it by other means, given its painfully slow pace and Byron's talent (for better or worse) for dragging things out (Linus' following of Clyde for three days, for example, was painful to get through. He goes in a store, looks around, walks out; rinse, repeat a few dozen times.). I kept pushing through the book, sure that there would be some sort of payoff. Surely something would happen; surely Linus would discover exactly what Clyde was. ...Right? Not exactly. Nothing is ever really resolved. What exactly was Clyde? I, for one, could never figure out how Linus came to the conclusion that Clyde was "out to get (him)." He never gave Linus any sign of intended malice and to me seemed like nothing more than a mentally-ill man perhaps battling a bad case of insomnia. What happened to the money? What, exactly, did Rex's subplot have to do with anything? (One wonders if it was a late addition just to beef up the description; said description gives the impression that his "disappearance" has something to do with, well, anything else. Such is not the case.) The ending, thoroughly unsatisfying, seems a good set-up for a sequel.
In the end, the book is fairly flawed, but I can't bring myself to actually dislike it (the plot/idea really does have promise, but I wish it had been fleshed out more and had a better ending), and I wouldn't hesitate to read Byron's other works, if I ever come across them.
As others have said, I'm torn between liking and disliking this book. I did enjoy the unique writing style, and genuinely liked Linus, but I do have some gripes with the book -- specifically with the unique approach to dialogue (I'll admit, the lack of quotations did confuse me at times re: which character said what). I don't know if I'd have ever finished this book had I acquired it by other means, given its painfully slow pace and Byron's talent (for better or worse) for dragging things out (Linus' following of Clyde for three days, for example, was painful to get through. He goes in a store, looks around, walks out; rinse, repeat a few dozen times.). I kept pushing through the book, sure that there would be some sort of payoff. Surely something would happen; surely Linus would discover exactly what Clyde was. ...Right? Not exactly. Nothing is ever really resolved. What exactly was Clyde? I, for one, could never figure out how Linus came to the conclusion that Clyde was "out to get (him)." He never gave Linus any sign of intended malice and to me seemed like nothing more than a mentally-ill man perhaps battling a bad case of insomnia. What happened to the money? What, exactly, did Rex's subplot have to do with anything? (One wonders if it was a late addition just to beef up the description; said description gives the impression that his "disappearance" has something to do with, well, anything else. Such is not the case.) The ending, thoroughly unsatisfying, seems a good set-up for a sequel.
In the end, the book is fairly flawed, but I can't bring myself to actually dislike it (the plot/idea really does have promise, but I wish it had been fleshed out more and had a better ending), and I wouldn't hesitate to read Byron's other works, if I ever come across them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2010
Thanks to Mr. Byron himself for the free copy.
The protagonist, Linus, is a young man who decides to leave his parents' house to live in a trailer park with his buddies. Perpetually high on weed or otherwise hungover, Linus finds keeping his job at a gas station convenience store quite difficult. He starts noticing that Clyde, a fellow resident at the trailer park, keeps showing up everywhere; something about Clyde is "off." Linus finally decides to investigate, thus hastening his own downward spiral.
The author has described The Wraith as his tribute to the youth. Thanks to this book, I have a better understanding of certain people I met during my college years at Berkeley, including some cashiers at a corner convenience store I used to frequent (it was later sold to a Korean-American family who then hired only family members). Ah, the romantic but sometimes brutal life that always just looks smelly from the outside.
The lack of dialogue punctuation contributes to the sense of internalization--is it all in Linus's head? Is the weed getting to Linus, or are his suspicions justified? Yes, Linus has detoured off any promising life paths, but he certainly at least has the capacity for wit, and understands his limitations and people's reactions to him. More often than not, he is honest with himself, and with a select few people in his life. So do we trust his observations or not?
Another masterpiece from Goodloe Byron; you should be so lucky to get a free copy of this book.
Update: Mr. Byron himself was kind enough to share with me his thought process regarding the Clyde character. I don't want to post what could be construed as a spoiler, but if you're interested in discussing this book, please feel free to message me.
The protagonist, Linus, is a young man who decides to leave his parents' house to live in a trailer park with his buddies. Perpetually high on weed or otherwise hungover, Linus finds keeping his job at a gas station convenience store quite difficult. He starts noticing that Clyde, a fellow resident at the trailer park, keeps showing up everywhere; something about Clyde is "off." Linus finally decides to investigate, thus hastening his own downward spiral.
The author has described The Wraith as his tribute to the youth. Thanks to this book, I have a better understanding of certain people I met during my college years at Berkeley, including some cashiers at a corner convenience store I used to frequent (it was later sold to a Korean-American family who then hired only family members). Ah, the romantic but sometimes brutal life that always just looks smelly from the outside.
The lack of dialogue punctuation contributes to the sense of internalization--is it all in Linus's head? Is the weed getting to Linus, or are his suspicions justified? Yes, Linus has detoured off any promising life paths, but he certainly at least has the capacity for wit, and understands his limitations and people's reactions to him. More often than not, he is honest with himself, and with a select few people in his life. So do we trust his observations or not?
Another masterpiece from Goodloe Byron; you should be so lucky to get a free copy of this book.
Update: Mr. Byron himself was kind enough to share with me his thought process regarding the Clyde character. I don't want to post what could be construed as a spoiler, but if you're interested in discussing this book, please feel free to message me.
July 19, 2016
I received this book for free through Goodreads first reads a few years ago. I was very excited to receive this and was pleasantly surprised to find it signed personally to me by the author. When I read the description I thought it was going to be a horror book of some kind or at least a little creepy. This book was none of that. The entire story revolves around an 18 year old boy that moves out on his own and spends his days drinking, smoking, and sabotaging his job. The characters were not very pleasant and I definitely did not get attached to any of them. Closer to the end I began to like the main character a little more, probably because he started making better choices, but then he became overly paranoid for no reason. The description of the book makes you think the neighbor Clyde and the main character's friend Rex are a big part but they are not. I still do not understand how the main character decided that Clyde was watching him and why everyone began referring to Clyde as "it". I also never would have noticed Rex's "disappearance" if it hadn't been mentioned on the back of the book. I did appreciate the unique writing style like many others mentioned and I felt the plot was fairly original. The ending definitely leaves one with unanswered questions but this could be a positive or negative aspect depending on how one looks at it. I think my main complaint was that the description is very misleading and if it had been more accurate I may have enjoyed the story more.
January 10, 2011
I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads program.
Linus moves out of his parents' house and in with his friend John, where he is free to do pretty much whatever he pleases. He spends a lot of time drinking and doing drugs with his friends, so much so that his work suffers. One of his friends disappears, and there's always this creepy neighbor guy hanging around, no matter where he goes.
I wanted to like this book, I really did, despite the fact that it was nothing like I expected it to be. I would have enjoyed this a lot more if the author hadn't decided not to use a single set of quotation marks anywhere in the book. This really annoyed me. As did the fact that most of this book was written in the passive style and we seemed to skip over huge chunks of time just to get on to the next scene. This made me start questioning what was going on as I had a hard time keeping up. About halfway through the book, the actual plot begins. By this time I had grown tired of reading about all of the drinking and drugs, not to mention Linus' need to sabotage his job prospects--this is not a likable character at all, yet I kept reading, trying to figure out what the actual plot of the book was, and by the time it was sort of introduced, the book was over, and I was left with more questions than answers.
Linus moves out of his parents' house and in with his friend John, where he is free to do pretty much whatever he pleases. He spends a lot of time drinking and doing drugs with his friends, so much so that his work suffers. One of his friends disappears, and there's always this creepy neighbor guy hanging around, no matter where he goes.
I wanted to like this book, I really did, despite the fact that it was nothing like I expected it to be. I would have enjoyed this a lot more if the author hadn't decided not to use a single set of quotation marks anywhere in the book. This really annoyed me. As did the fact that most of this book was written in the passive style and we seemed to skip over huge chunks of time just to get on to the next scene. This made me start questioning what was going on as I had a hard time keeping up. About halfway through the book, the actual plot begins. By this time I had grown tired of reading about all of the drinking and drugs, not to mention Linus' need to sabotage his job prospects--this is not a likable character at all, yet I kept reading, trying to figure out what the actual plot of the book was, and by the time it was sort of introduced, the book was over, and I was left with more questions than answers.
September 30, 2010
I want to say first, I really appreciate the advantage I have had to read this book. With that said, this was an odd story about a young man and his trials, tribulations and fear of another "presence" surrouding/haunting him (sorta). This book spends a great deal of time describing the main character to the point of overkill. I don't know if the message was regarding trailer park living, getting high and drunk and the effects of that, or about the "little fat man". I wonder how well this book was edited, because there were many mistakes. I often found myself re-reading a sentence or two to see if I read it wrong or something. There were some good parts also! The main character obviously grows up and excepts responsibility and even falls for a young woman who teaches him that there is more to life than getting high and drunk. The "ghost" I don't really get. I did love the illustrations at the back of the book though. I would recommend it to anyone that likes to read the strange. I just kept getting that feeling like when watching a weird movie, and your waiting for it to get better and to understand it, and then it ends and you say "what". It is just definitely for the strange.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2012
I bought this book, and started reading it immediately, because I was taken by the Title and the main character's name.
It's a pretty cool book, that starts out simply with Linus moving into a trailer park and working at some gas station and I kept asking myself why did he have to move and all? The drinking and smoking part got me worried, because I was like how much more can a person drink? Seemed like what most of his friends-John, Matt,and Peter did was just drink and party and get laid.
I hated Linus at first because it felt as though he was throwing away his life, living with people who could not hold steady jobs, and drinking and smoking loads. But when Natalie came in and she's so sweet and understanding and she dares to dream, always having the desire to leave the trailer park and maybe study chemistry in college-the humane side of Linus becomes more pronounced and though he's a jerk for leaving her behind as he fears for his life after stealing money, he still makes things right. I ended up loving the book because though Linus seemed like he cared for nothing-he did end up caring for something, I'd say it scores a 7 out of 10. 1 for the cover design, and layout, 1 for the title, 2 for the plot and 3 for the entire story line-it's a good read.
It's a pretty cool book, that starts out simply with Linus moving into a trailer park and working at some gas station and I kept asking myself why did he have to move and all? The drinking and smoking part got me worried, because I was like how much more can a person drink? Seemed like what most of his friends-John, Matt,and Peter did was just drink and party and get laid.
I hated Linus at first because it felt as though he was throwing away his life, living with people who could not hold steady jobs, and drinking and smoking loads. But when Natalie came in and she's so sweet and understanding and she dares to dream, always having the desire to leave the trailer park and maybe study chemistry in college-the humane side of Linus becomes more pronounced and though he's a jerk for leaving her behind as he fears for his life after stealing money, he still makes things right. I ended up loving the book because though Linus seemed like he cared for nothing-he did end up caring for something, I'd say it scores a 7 out of 10. 1 for the cover design, and layout, 1 for the title, 2 for the plot and 3 for the entire story line-it's a good read.
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