Honestly, I just found the characters so unlikeable. Sam was surly, but I understand he is flawed and scarred, as many of us are. I found him the most believable. But Sadie was unlikeable, petty, selfish, unforgiving, and just kept getting moreso. And many of the turns in their relationship didn't ring true to me. Dov was just unspeakable and I think he was let off too easily. He came back at the end presented as almost a sympathetic character, which really turned me off. Marx was idealized as perfect and handsome and lovable, too much so. The political aspects were a bit too heavy handed and I think mostly unnecessary for the story. That said, the book had a lot of interesting stylistic elements that I enjoyed and kept me reading. The video game angle is unique (though a few details are a bit off (but I can let it go)). And the overarching plot was engaging to me, if the details of the characters and execution didn't quite work. So I'm definitely mixed. It's worth a read, but I have a hard time seeing it as "Book of the year".
I agree with all of this. The characters were complex and at times quite unlikeable....I wanted to shake some sense into them. I do like flawed characters though. I agree, worth a read, but wasn't a top contender for book of the year (for me)
Terrific review. I read this a few weeks ago and agree with you on pretty much everything. You’ve done well to give such an in-depth review without spoilers. I heard that the author has sold the movie rights for $2M. I’m interested to see how true the film ends up being to the book. Looking forward to watching more of your reviews in the future. :)
This means a lot to me, thank you 😊 It is hard to know how much I can say without spoiling anything sometimes. I'm interested to see how a movie would go.
The premise sounds so good and I've been a developer myself, so I really want to love the book, but I cannot get into the story. I'm roughly 20% in, which is when they work on their first game together, and I don't feel the story at all. I searched for spoiler-free reviews to see why people love the book and it gave me a bit of hope that there are things I might like and make me love the story (or, at least, enjoy). Thank you for the video :)
I just came across this review. The novel’s main characters, Sam and Sadie, had a relationship that was built on a weak foundation. Remember, Sadie’s grandmother warned Sadie to tell Sam the truth from the very beginning of why she was visiting him on a regular basis. Sadie did not take her advice and mislead Sam. Therefore, Sam broke off the relationship and when he tried to rebuild it Sadie was mixed up with an abusive man. Perhaps, if she was a better person, her self esteem would have been intact and she would not have needed to sleep with an abuser like Dov to feel valued.
Thanks for the review. I read the book a few months ago and it was nice to be back to the world of the novel. You are right about the advantages and disadvantages of this reading, but this book is fantastically written from an emotional point of view, and this is probably one of its biggest advantages, as well as the reason to read it.
I'm not biracial, I'm multiracial. I didn't think that really had anything to do with his character. I didnt like Sam at all. He was manipulative, a coward, and just selfish. But he did the best he could but it was still in his negative manners.
