Friday, April 25, 2014

Entertaining, That's All

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff
New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2013
337 p. ; 24 cm.

It's already been said, but this book echoes The Bourne Identity and James Bond.  The promotional material from Zadoff's website highlights a lot of the positive buzz around the book (and its sequels).  I can't help feeling that it's a bit over-hyped. (Though a movie and sequels may create more success for the book and series).

Yes, the book was entertaining.  It moves along, is well-plotted, and there's suspense, action, and interesting developments.  I'd feel fine recommending it to a student wanting a spy/assassin/action/thriller novel; it delivers...

But I just couldn't care about the characters very much.  I really felt no emotional connection to any of them, and frankly found the female characters more fitting a male-fantasy ideal than any connection to reality.  That said, if you want a fast, action-based clandestine thriller, then Nobody might be just what you want.

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