Title: Monster
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Publisher: Amistad Press
Pages: 281
Release Date: May 8, 2001
Reading Group: Young Adult
Summery
Young, black, 16-year-old Steve Harmon, an amateur filmmaker, is on trial for the murder of a Harlem drugstore owner. Steve copes by writing a movie script based on his trial. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred until he can no longer tell who he is or what the truth is. Illustrations.
Review
Monster was unfortunately disappointing for me. When
I started the book I was really enjoying it. However, as I kept reading, I
found myself getting more and more bored with it. By the time I finished it, I
felt... indifferent. I'll try my best to explain.
First of all, I want to give props for Walter Dean Myers for
taking such a creative approach in writing Monster. I've never read a
novel written like this before. We're basically getting exposed to the story
through the main character's personal journals and the script he writes as the
story goes on. Some may think that it's a lazy approach in writing the story,
but I think it made the book fun to read... for a certain amount of time.
While I do appreciate the creative approach, I don't think
it works for this particular story. This is a story that mostly takes place in
court, so you really need to care about the characters to keep reading. Having most
of the story written as a screenplay doesn’t give enough material about the
characters or the situation they’re in. You could say that characters shine
through their dialogue, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case in Monster.
Like I said, I do appreciate the creative approach, but I
think this form of writing made the characters suffer in my eyes. It was really
hard for me to get attached to Steve. I really didn't know what to think of
him. His personal journals weren't enough for me to get to know him. The side
characters in particular don't shine at all, even though there are several of
those. As I kept reading the novel, I kept forgetting who is who. I'm not the
kind of reader that cares about having a likable character, but I do want
characters that are interesting enough for me to keep reading.
When it comes to the story itself, I personally didn't know
where it meant to go. I don't think it succeed to delivering its central
message, which is about how people see you. I was disappointed because I didn't
get a satisfying resolution neither there was a character development in my
opinion.
All in all, despite how I feel about Monster, I'd
like to try more of this author's work. Keep in mind that I’m in the minority
when it comes to this book, so don’t let me stop you from trying it out.
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