This
is a book that I’ve read several times since I came upon it in the library. I enjoy
it very much, and somehow manage to undersell it in my memory every time.
However, it does contain quite a lot of swearing and a few sexual references,
so I’d recommend it for more mature readers.
Things I didn’t like:
There’s not a lot of plot in the book, because it’s primarily character driven. While I had no problem with this, it could be a downside if you prefer more event focused novels. In addition, the narrator, Karl Shoemaker, can be a little strange and hard to relate to at times. A main part of the book is the fact that it’s set in 1973, which could distance it for younger readers.
There’s not a lot of plot in the book, because it’s primarily character driven. While I had no problem with this, it could be a downside if you prefer more event focused novels. In addition, the narrator, Karl Shoemaker, can be a little strange and hard to relate to at times. A main part of the book is the fact that it’s set in 1973, which could distance it for younger readers.
Things I liked:
The titular group, the Madman
Underground, is connected by the members’ abundant issues in their home lives. However,
they all seem very human and are amazingly developed. Anyone who has felt
overwhelmed by their own problems will find a friend in these long-suffering
characters. Although I don’t know what being a teenager in a small town in the
70s would have been like, I find the setting to be very realistic and
believable. It’s a surprisingly eloquent book for the amount of profanity it
contains, and is very well crafted.
(Sorry for the very long leave of absence! Hopefully we'll be able to get ourselves back on track.)
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