The Screwed Up Life Of Charlie (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
Only after I wrote the comments below did I happen to take a look at other reviews, something i've never done before as I'm generally uninterested in the opinions of other people.... And here's why:If you expect your life to be changed by a YA book about a gay teen and your neither a YA or a gay teen, you obviously need the kind of help not found in the pages of a book you will read on your own.Going on about how you have teen boys, had brothers, and thus 'understand' or 'know' teen boys and then not comprehend how powerful sex can be in the life of a 17 year old boy just really proves you don't know a fucking thing. About boys, or otherwise, but mainly about your own meager powers of observation and how our own perceptions can make us blind.You don't understand how one moment everything is happy and giggly and then the next moody and dark? So you don't remember how you could be feeling great about your life, yourself, and in one moment that all comes crashing down based on something or someone you saw? Something cruel that was said to you? Something you wish you never overheard? How rare! How lucky you are??Anyhow, my original comments...This book does a great job capturing the caustic, obnoxious, smart-ass comments of a typical teenage boy who just happens to be gay.No, it's not all humor and light, there are some painful moments, some very serious moments, but that's true of all our lives.The story moves at a fast pace, the characters are believable, as is the story.My first book from this author,apparently his first too. Hopefully he has written something new by now. I was very mercurial when it came to deciding whether or not I liked this book. I kept changing my mind, but in the end I decided I really did enjoy it. I think it captures the awkward feelings of high school lust and love quite well. I think the desire to fit in and find someone to love is something we can all relate to.I will admit, I did find the mentions of sex and self-love a bit explicit. But unlike other readers on this site, I don't think that automatically means this book should get a bad review. Maybe it's not quite my cup of tea, but don't we read fiction to gain insight into others' experiences? I would be a pretty boring person if all I read was contemporary fiction about heterosexual women in their thirties.
What do You think about The Screwed Up Life Of Charlie (2008)?
Hilarious, excruciatingly embarrassing and a dash of teen angst. Really, what else is there?
—Phantom9
Overall a hard 4, but a 3.5 for the ending. Too abrupt.
—meghan
funny read about a horny, gay teen outcast
—SuflaDoufla
loved it it was funny and very real !!
—frances0204
