I really quite enjoyed this book. It was light and full of humour. Jasper is quite a likeable and relatable protagonist. Well, not just Jasper but most of the other characters are likeable. The way that Brooks depicts the life of a 17 year old boy is quite accurate. I love how he describes how the drugs take effect on him. I've recommended this to both my friends and family. The plot doesn't really blossom until the last few pages but I really like that. Well done Mr. Brooks. Firstly, congratulations to Ben Brooks for writing a novel so young, at 17. That in itself is a mighty accomplishment. It's such a shame the book is tedious, irritating and dull. Characters are one dimensional. They are simply vapid, void of something that the audience can connect to. I'm twenty, only three years older than these characters and I can find nothing. The narrator, Jasper, is a 17 year old teenager engages in drugs, sexual acts, and visits chat rooms to jack off. But instead of being a teenager learning the world this is one who attempts to derail it. He is nasty to others, caring only for himself, and there is no comeuppance for him. He just is, and is allowed to continue. This would be fine if there was something else, some message, some reason. But there isn't. Even though this novel is brimmed with sex and drugs it is devoid of anything of substance. Nothing in its 200+ pages offers anything of interest or wonder. It is a novel about growing up without the maturity to deal with its subjects. Yes it is shocking. And yes it does have a few, fleeting, moments of humour or pathos but it is weighed down by a story and characters that leave as much of an impression as a scouring pad. I wished that there was something to find within these pages but there isn't. Unless your a massive fan of tedious, wordy writing and characters who wouldn't go amiss on The Only Way is Essex (shudder) stay clear of this novel.Hopefully Ben Brooks improves. After this début it'll be impressive if he produces something worse.
What do You think about Dospěj (2012)?
(Okay. I have lots to say about this book.. I'll write a review next time I'm near a computer!)
—pscheung
Really funny and something was always happening in the book.
—book
