A review of "Deenie" — 6 years ago
I don’t know why I picked this book up in the first place, and when I did, I have no flaming idea why I continued reading it. I didn’t like teenage books even while I WAS a teenager.
I can see how it can be helpful. It deals with braces, spine problems and mastrubation, yes. I can also see how it must have been rather revolutionary when it appeared. I still don’t like it, however. Had I wanted a booklet on scoliosis and mastrubation, I would have read a booklet.
What bother’s me isn’t the message the book is trying to convey, whe bothers me is the story – or the lack thereoff. The plot is VERY… linear. There is an inner plot there allright – Deenie is trying to deal with things and maturing in the process, yes. But an outer plot is – nonexistent, except for the love story, which is weak and not very engaging.. Not to mention a subplot.
The characters are cardboard at best; there’s no depth even to the main character. The relationships between the characters are stereotypical and… well, let’s put it this way: you need SOMEWHAT developed characters in order to have relationships between them.
The worst of all is – there is no self irony in there, not a trace of it, except from the lusy Empire State Building joke. It’s a first person narrative, for gods sake. It CAN’T work without some self irony.
So, yes, I can see how this book can be useful, and no, I don’t like it, not a tad. What I tend to like about a book is the story, the characters, the writing style. I liked none of it.
