Monday, November 8, 2010

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

Book: Girl Parts
Release date: August 10th, 2010
Source: Publisher
Summary:
"Hello, David. My name is Rose. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are now entering minute two of our friendship. According to my Intimacy Clock, a handshake is now appropriate…"

David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot to encourage healthy bonds and treat "dissociative disorder," he can’t get enough of luscious red-headed Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Severed from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up, knowing Rose isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal "companion" is about to become her own best friend.
Review: An intriguing debut, and an interesting idea.

With the narrative jumping from David to Charlie to Rose (third person narrative for all three), Cusick lets the reader dive into the story from every angle possible.

David is your clichéd rich snobby prep, and he's having some social issues. After a girl commits suicide via webcam, everyone becomes concerned about many of the teens who seem to not be reacting the right way. When he receives Rose to help "socialize" him, he's a bit angry at first. He'd give anything to get rid of her, but then slowly warms up to her. When he's with Rose, it's a tad bit easier to semi-like David, because he's a different guy with her. Rose is probably the more interesting character, and amusing as she learns how to be a teenager (let alone how to be a human). Charlie, however, almost seemed bland in comparison, and in the end, I didn't care for him. He's fairly average, almost too average, and because of that he's not memorable. 

The plot is definitely unique and unlike anything I've read, but it does have some flaws and parts that could have been tightened up. 

Highlights: I love the uniqueness. It was such a fascinating and different way of life, and I think Cusick really conveyed that well. Rose was by far the best part of the story, because her innocence and curiosity are very endearing and it's easy to root for her. 

Lowlights: Some points got to be confusing, and I would have loved a bit more depth to the characters. I feel like with this story it almost gets somewhere great at times, but then other times it just goes back to average. I had such high hopes that this novel would be epic, and it didn't quite hit the mark. 

Rating:    



Signature

11 comments:

  1. Great honest review, Lea! I felt quite the same way haha I also felt I just wasn't the right audience for this book even though I'm sure plenty of people would enjoy it :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice review Lea, like you I'm impressed with the uniqueness of the concept, but it's a shame the characters don't quite live up to that potential. Thanks for your honesty!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah, this book never got really my attention. It just doesnt sound like a book I would enjoy very much. So I think I will pass this one..Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great honest review. I really want to try this one. I love the cover and rarely read books from a male perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The summary made me laugh! I like that he got shocked when he tried anything. XD
    Nice rveiew! While the summary was pretty funny, I didn't really get the feeling that the book was, so I'm going to look further into this before deciding whether I want to read it or not.

    ReplyDelete
  6. like you said in your opener, this just looks so interesting!!

    thanks for the honest review, looks like it's still worth a read for uniqueness sake!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like the concept and it reminds me of a couple of Japanese manga that I've heard about

    ReplyDelete
  8. have read a bunch of mixed reviews..Hmm I might add this anyhoo

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very cool! I am now a follower. Found you on Ramdom Buzzers. :) Check out my blogs if you get a chance.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I can't cait to read this one. it kind of reminds me of a manga i read called Absolute Boyfriend but a boy version lol

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've seen lots of so-so reviews for this book; yours is probably the most positive one I've read so far, heh. I love the sound of the premise, so I'll most likely be checking this one out sometime!

    ReplyDelete