Book Review: The Wrong Boy by Willy Russell

Holy crap. Nicholas Pang, I will not doubt any book you throw my way anymore. NEVER. In fact, I'm finally opening that Haruki Murakami book right now. Yes, finally. Shouldn't have doubted your choices, never will again. ^^ Because this book just blew me away.

Now, I expected something Adrian Mole-ish from this book. The lead character is after all, a British teenager who narrates the story through letters he writes to his favorite singer (not a diary, but it almost passes of a kind of diary. Unique, really) And its almost a coming-of-age novel, teen angst and it is humorous at times, because of the way it's narrated early on. But this book is really much, much, more mature, with more heart-wrenching scenes and darkness in it that it's a lot more than I really expected it to be.

The basic premise of this book is about a boy, Raymond Marks whose life changes when he gets accused of being...well, *something* by the local community due to a slight misunderstanding, and his fucked-up Headmaster. From then on life spirals downwards for him and his single mom, as he (eleven as this is happening) is sort of ostracized from society and the people who were once his friends. This however, is told in a more past tense form as the story really unfolds as he is leaving home, headed to a place called Grimsby where he is going to work as a construction worker. The events of the past he tells to his favorite singer Morissey, through his letters, piece together his past and eventually lead to where he is now.

The story is purely a roller coaster ride of emotions. There are characters you will hate with such intensity, and then there are ones you'll love and cry for, the main character included. And despite being a novel with a teenager as the main character, only the last 40 or so pages are dedicated to any form of romance, which is also left without being developed because frankly, this story isn't about this boy's love life, it's about his growing up, and the challenges he face due to being 'less than normal', due to being 'the wrong boy' as he sees it.

I shed tears more than once while reading this book. And seriously, I haven't been moved this much for a long time now, not since- oh well, I'd rather not bring it up, but it's a really really good book- one that I plan to own when I get home. Cuz I have to return this to the library in a few days- so later I'm going to look for one at Borders or Kino and buy it. It's that damn good.

Something about the main character reminds me of Khairul though- how he adores that one singer that no one else he knows seems to appreciate, and yet he fiercely defends that-

Oh wait, Khairul doesn't defend Chris Martin anymore.

But I digress.

I give this book a perfect score, and it fully deserves it.