Saturday, April 30, 2011

Review: Willy ~ by Robert Dunbar

 

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Review by Shellie for: Willy ~ by Robert Dunbar

A disturbing and poignant coming of age story with elements of suspense and psychological terror which verges on the paranormal.

About:  Arriving at his most recent boy’s school, the story’s narrator is among a number of “marginal” young adults living at the facility, perhaps with behavior problems or mental health issues – quintessential “lost boys”. The school appears to be their last resort before incarceration or asylums.

The story has a murky and gothic feeling – being set in an icy wintery season, containing dysfunctional adult characters, and taking place within decrepit halls and dusty corridors. Amazingly the story teller is never named. Lost in the system and within himself, our narrator tells his tale via cryptic journal entries, through which we see that he is “damaged” as he enters yet another broken educational facility.

Enter Willy, a charismatic, intelligent and contrastingly wealthy roommate to our story teller. He sees through the façade of the school and its teachers, and assists the boys to understand they are of value – especially our unnamed character. But this comes at a price, and as the story progresses the reader can only guess what is really going on.

My Thoughts:   Through the narrator’s journaling, appropriate for a young person’s developing writing skills, the reader is led on a dark rollercoaster ride with only small glints of hopefulness. We see a lack of self worth, dark teacher student conflict, and a crooked system where the needs of the lost and disabled are not met by teachers/administrators. This is contrasted with emerging feelings of self discovery, including youthful romantic angst, and some normal coming of age fun and games.

Robert Dunbar’s grasp of the human experience is heart-piercing and he clearly understands these lost souls. Here, Willy is speaking to our main character:

“You don’t know what you are. You’re lost in yourself and you can’t always be. Would be a tragedy. Yes? No? Don’t nod like that. You don’t understand. Are you even awake enough to hear? It would be a tragedy because you feel, and you can’t imagine how rare that is, not yet. But you could. Be strong. If you survive long enough.”

One thing I think may be difficult for some readers is accessing the narrator’s language – a key to the story. It is choppy with some stream of consciousness thought which gives it a dissociative feel. However, I loved it and was at the edge of my seat while reading the book. The author effectively uses this and a variety of techniques to create a combination of angst and chills

In summary Willy, with its bits of resolution and redemption, was hard to put down. I think that it will be enjoyable for many mainstream readers, especially those who enjoy coming of age stories, stories that border on paranormal, and those that leave the reader wondering how it will all work out. There is some light m/m romance and glbt intimacy with tasteful sexual allusions, and also some slightly strong language and gore. This novel is distinctly intelligent, emotionally insightful and alarming; the reader is left with only a reference, a wonder, and a delicious dark suspicion of what has actually occurred. This genre-blending story gets 4 stars in my opinion. I loved it!


Paperback: 272 pages; Uninvited Books (January 24, 2011) US|UK|Canada.

If you’re interested in reading an excerpt – see Uninvited Book’s excerpt of Willy ~ by Robert Dunbar.

Robert Dunbar is a playwright, has written for radio, television and theater and is the author of The Pines, The Shore, and Martyrs & Monsters. In his spare time he likes to imagine himself as a professional ice skater, or possibly a trainer of tarantulas for jungle pictures. You can find more about him on his website and blog, Goodreads (his wonderful group there – Literary Horror,) Twitter, and Facebook.

UNINVITED BOOKS is a new independent press dedicated to restoring the mantle of literary distinction to dark fiction.

Coming soon - an author interview and giveaway - I hope!  Robert Dunbar is such an interesting and talented person and he is hilarious. I can’t wait!

Thanks for reading!

4 comments:

ThePageTurner said...

WOW! I have this book sitting on my dresser too! Can't wait to read it now. :)

Unknown said...

Rose you will read this in two sittings... and love it!

@parridhlantern said...

This sounds an interesting tale & I like the idea of the authors extracurricular activities. Will keep an eye out, when my TBRs shrink.

Unknown said...

Gary -
I think you would enjoy this book - and Robert Dunbar is a character.

Do you like horror classics or anything dark? his group on Good Reads is very informative and accessible.

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