Enda Walsh

I don’t fucking know how to rate this book.
On one hand, it’s written so so good, the writing style is amazing, so thrilling and I don’t can or want to put it down. The story in itself is also exciting and although you kind of know where this is going, you just don’t want to stop reading.
On the other hand, the characters are so damn annoying. They’re all kind of understandable and I love that we have so many point of views. But they’re all so dumb and so annoying, you kind of end show more up hating everyone. But at the same time you get where they’re coming from, and you mostly can’t even blame them. Well, except Drake, and for me also Caine, and maybe some few others, but really for the most part.

However, I don’t like how the author is treating the female characters. They’re always described as beautiful, being some kind of trophy to the boys, but not really treated like a partner. As in, the “friend” part in “girlfriend” is missing. We’re back in the kingdom’s era, with men at the top and women being treated like things you can own. And it seems like the author is even proud of that...
I want to like the female characters and I do like most of the background females, but the mains, especially Astrid, are pissing me so off. I don’t want to be pissed at them, but the author is practically forcing the reader to do so. Forcing dumb stuff on the female characters, so that the reader pretty much can’t do anything than be annoyed by them. That force is annoying me mostly though.

A few spoilers from now on. Not heavy spoilers, nothing that really spoils the ending for you, but yeah.

When Sam had a breakdown and was accusing Astrid of manipulating him, that was like the first time I took his side. I mean, he’s right. Astrid has always been that sidekick to Sam, bc that way she was safe and Pete was safe, and I don’t blame her for that part, but she has never really done anything. She pretty much only reads a to-do-list for Sam down, and accuses Albert for being greedy. Well, Albert really is greedy, but isn’t Astrid at some point too? Maybe not for the same thing, but kind of.
I really want to be on Astrid’s side on this, because it’s fucking annoying how the author is treating the females. Like they’re trophies of the guys, always described as beautiful. They have like one characteristic, Astrid being a genius for example, but not really having much of a purpose. Or helping in any way. Astrid is there, and she’s kinda the love of sam’s life, but does absolutely nothing. It took her 450 pages to figure out “the darkness” thingy and finally listen to her brother. I don’t really blame her for that (the darkness thingy), because that’s some vague guess, but if the author says she’s supposed to be a genius and nothing else, but then not even being able to live her up to her one and only characteristic... idk man.
I get that geniuses don’t know everything and even they need time to think. Like I said, I’m not blaming Astrid. I’m rather blaming the author, although blaming is the wrong word, for being confusing and forcing unnecessary things.
I don’t even know if the reader is supposed to like Astrid or not. Does the author like Astrid; does he like flat characters? Or does he dislike her and that’s why she’s mostly just “there”, but not really?

For example Astrid not getting when Albert explained her the issue that kids are wasting toilet paper. That felt like a whole different character there. Shes supposed to be that big genius, but doesn’t get anything, when someone else is explaining things to her. Survival things.
I mean, she just stood there, not getting it, and instead accusing Albert for being greedy. Man, we’re talking about toilet paper. Isn’t it better that someone hordes it for themselves, than little kids playing with it and wasting it?
It’s annoying. And sam was there too, accusing Albert of being greedy too. He even said that the dance club was stupid, even though that was like the only place where people were happy and could get their minds off. To me it just seemed that Sam was jealous, jealous that he didn’t come up with the idea himself.

But, just bc I sided one time with him, when he was finally speaking up to Astrid, doesn’t mean I like him much. I really don’t get him, actually.
He’s annoyed every single time, when kids ask him out little things, like what movie to watch (which I completely get, it’s dumb and annoying), but whenever someone does sth on their own, actually gets their butt up and does sth instead of lying around all day – actually working, doing sth for the community –, Sam’s annoyed too that they didn’t tell him.
What, man? You need to decide. And really, the fact he gets upset over Quinn fishing, is just...
Well, I do get where he’s coming from, all that stress and everything, but still.

At first I was like: okay, Sam’s obviously not up for the job being, then let’s make Albert the mayor. At first. But then his obsession with money – yes, fucking money – cane to the surface and... bruh, you gotta be kidding right?
You can’t eat gold. Yet he’s wasting his time by learning how to melt gold and make coins out of it. He should learn about history instead, to realize that money never helped during tough times. You can’t fucking eat money.
I really liked Albert and I think I still definitely like him more than Sam and Astrid, but the fact that he’s obsessing over money/gold, while starving? Dude, that’s sick.

Seems like Lana will stay my fav now. So far, at least.
Duck has also become a fav.
Brittney too, I’m really glad she “survived”, although I also wanted her to be somewhere better, reunited with her brother, away from this stupid world. But if that would mean eaten by the “darkness”, I’m glad she’s not with “it”, but still here.

A moment of silence for Brittney, btw. Had sacrificed herself and bought time for Sam to get there. Well, even though she didn’t know Sam was coming. But she did sacrifice herself, fully knowing she wouldn’t make it, but then again, she wasn’t afraid to die.
And men say women are weak. When in reality, Brittney stepped up and the two guys, Mike and Mickey, were hiding under a table. Fuck guys.
That’s probably the first female the author hasn’t treated like shit yet. Yet. I don’t really think I’m eager to know what he’ll do to her in the 3rd book.

And Zil, oh my god, Zil. I kind of get where he’s coming from, but what the fuck? They’re like starving and he has time and energy to start a war?
I mean, it’s clear he was the reason that Harry is dead. Like, Hunter didn’t ask for the powers. And most “freaks” can’t control them, anyway. It doesn’t help if everyone else is making you angry all the time. And if Hunter didn’t have powers, Zil would’ve probably killed him with that baseball bat (was it a bat? Can’t remember. But I mean the incident in the living room). So, like every other human, Hunter panicked and tried to protect his head. And Harry was dumb or naive or whatever to get between them, which resulted in him getting hurt instead of Zil. Well, that’s where Zil’s madness started or erupted.
I can’t blame him that much bc I get where he’s coming from, but it’s dumb. Everyone in this book is so dumb. Instead of getting to work and hunting for food (like Quinn going fishing for example), they create unnecessary wars.
And, let’s be honest, Zil’s crew is just jealous. He wants to have that kind of power that the freaks have, but he doesn’t, and he’s jealous. And, sure, part of him is also afraid, but it’s mostly jealousy (in form of hatred) that’s driving him. It’s so dumb show less

This is a difficult play to rate. It doesn't read well; it might come out better in performance. It's difficult to be sure how it would be done. I know I wouldn't want to try to direct it. The characters are unpleasant, apparently by design, and the play might be a story of a dysfunctional family, it might be the story of an Irish twentieth century Miss Havisham multiplied by 3, and it might be what it was described in the blurbs, a story of the stultifying effect of small town life. It show more might be all three. The introduction of a brief romantic interlude for the youngest of the sisters was strange and offputting. The dialogue was nearly impossible to keep up with, and the stage directions were confusing. In addition, the formatting made it frequently difficult to know who was speaking without going back and checking several times. To me, this is a play that is trying to be Samuel Beckett but never made it. show less

A collaboration between Walsh and British company Theatre O, this is a terrifically theatrical version of this story, perfect for the contemporary audience. Some readers may be frustrated with having visual imagery translated to the written word, but plays are meant to be performed, not read, and I found this text to be an adequate substitute that REALLY made me want to see the production.

RT: 90%