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Slam by Nick Hornby
Hmm…when I say “Slam was a bowl of plain oatmeal”…well you get the picture. I wanted this novel to be good. This is the first Hornby novel I have read, but I have seen movie adaptations of two of his other novels, High Fidelity and About a Boy. I loved both of them, especially the ideal castings of John Cusack in HF and Hugh Grant in AAB. They both fit the quirky male protags that Hornby hones his craft on.
I liked the way the first chapter began. Sam’s one way conversation with superstar skater, Tony Hawk, was funny and endearing. I wish that more of the “skater” world had invaded Slam. It would have made the novel cool and rad (sorry for the 80’s reference.) Take for instance when Sam talks about eating concrete while skating. I think I would have like him describing his life in skating terms, rather than moments from Hawke's memoir. The rest of the novel just seemed to bog down with too few details in some parts and too many in others. Sam just did not fit the bill of quirky character. Perhaps that is what was missing from this novel for me. The first person dialog that worked in HF did not work here in Slam. I did have a few good laughs over a smattering of comedic scenes in the book, but they were few and far between. The book could have used more humor and even a little more stress. After awhile I just felt like the end would never come. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the ending! (Spoilers below.)
Noteworthy writing in Slam: “Where did it go? It was like there had been a lot of food on a plate in front of us, and we ate it really quickly, and then there was nothing left. Maybe that’s how couples stay together: they’re not greedy. They know that what they have in front of them has to last a long time, so they kind of pick at it. I hope it’s not like that though. I hope that when people are happy together, it feels as though someone keeps piling seconds and thirds on their plates.” (Sam talking about the status of his relationship with Alicia, pg. 65)
Three reasons why Slam was not a slam dunk.
1. Let’s do the time warp again…the flash forwards to the future drove me crazy. I think there were three, possibly four, total jumps to the future. Each one took place in Sam’s dreams. The future dreamscapes just did not work for me. The time spent on time travel would have been better spent on character development.
2. Teen romance…where was it? I just could not even picture Sam and Alicia together. The little I had to go on with their personalities made them completely wrong for each other. I was left to ponder how they even manage to like each other enough to have sex and (spoiler) procreate. Sam was just so apathetic at times. He did not seem to react in a believable manner to the news that he is going to be a Daddy at the tender age of 16. I disliked Alicia even more than Sam. The only time I felt an inkling of cheering her on was when she stood up to her mum on the decision of the last name of said procreation.
3. Mamma mia...Sam’s mom was a dis-o-pointment. I wanted her to be feistier. I needed her to be more opinionated and stricter with her son. She seemed so laissez-faire about raising Sam.
Let’s Rate It…
The Cover: Umm…the colors match.
Page Turner Worthiness Factor: I was half way through the book, I had to finish.
Coming to a Theatre Near You: What were they thinking, not another moonlight movie? This story would not even be on par with the quirky, creative movie adaptations of High Fidelity and About a Boy.
Better than a bowl of ice cream: Just plain vanilla.
Yes, this book did get my lowest rates across the board. I have to say that it is not a terrible book. The writing is good, but it looses points because of little character development and a male protag who is dispassionate. You want to root for him, but you just can not find a reason to. The sentiments noted above were reflected in the Books Like Us book group meeting.
And now we bring you the following preview…
Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth (DC Comics Graphic Novel by Paul Dini)
