Adam Rapp (1) (1968–)

Corinthia Bledsoe is a teenage giant who discovers she can predict certain events, such as tornadoes hitting the high school and geese destroying the football field. (Why either of these events might have happened is not addressed.) Billy Ball is an awkward freshman with flatulence problems and a fixation on Native American culture. Their paths cross exactly once, an event which seems to have almost no impact on either of them. Corinthia's brother Channing, star football player, goes missing show more for no reason. Corinthia's mother cannot handle having a giant for a daughter. Corinthia's father seems unsurprised to learn of his daughter's soothsaying abilities but this is not explored. There are wolves prowling the outskirts of town for some reason. The whole thing feels kind of slapped together. None of the major events seem to have any impact on any of the characters (except Channing's disappearance on his mother), and none of the characters change or grow in the slightest over the course of the book. Basically it's just a weird series of scenes that left me wondering why the author felt a need to share them. Not recommended.

Side note: Corinthia is described as being 7'4" and 287 pounds, yet much is made of her tendency to break toilets and the need to reinforce her chair legs with steel. Which makes me wonder what kind of toothpick chairs and teacup china toilets this town has to be crushed by someone under 300 pounds. I've known people in excess of 400 pounds use public toilets without incident. I know it's a minor detail, but it really jumped out at me. show less

This is the story of a large Catholic family beginning in 1951 when the oldest daughter, Myra, is thirteen and eager to get a few minutes alone to read, her family responsibilities as the oldest of six siblings take up much of her time. Each chapter follows a different family member, from the mother trying to keep her family running and God-fearing, through to the son, Alec, who seems to delight in small acts of cruelty. Each chapter jumps forward a few years, as the siblings grow up and set show more out to make their own ways in the world, some marrying and settling down and some floating around. Rapp focuses on two of the siblings and on one of their children, pulling in other family members here and there, each chapter almost standing on its own, but also building the story of this family.

Given away in the blurb and the marketing for this book is that one of the siblings is a serial murderer and that different members of the family know something is very wrong to differing degrees. It's well-integrated into the novel and doesn't distract from the interest I had in all the family members and their more ordinary concerns. Rapp has an eye for detail and writes well, and that one of the characters he centers is a woman who is just doing her best, without great adventures or ambitions was a good choice and made the whole novel far more interesting and true. show less

Fum
By Adam Rapp
2018

A LibraryThing Early Reviewer book.
Wow! Adam Rapp is an author I hadn't heard of before receiving this book, but he definitely is one I should have heard of. His writing is detailed and evocative and stirring and matter of fact, all at the same time. The characters are real and beautiful, while also outlandish and terrifying. Set in a realistic town of today, the characters and events seem even more frightening, then if they were in a fantasy setting. This is superb story show more telling. I don't know what else to say that wouldn't be a spoiler. Read this book, really. You'll be glad you did.

Spoiler

Even if the last section made me cry.

4 1/2 stars. show less

Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp and Mike Cavallaro is a beautiful book with blue edges and black and white art. It's about a future where nothing matters but speed and brevity. All food is preprocessed, all books and films are condensed. Even language is as brief as possible. Lives are run by a corporation and, as you can guess, not everyone is thrilled about this. Angela is only in high school but she already knows that this life isn't for her. She wants something different and she finds it by show more accident when she stumbles into the lair of the resistance.

The beginning of this book seriously had me stressed! The frantic conversations, each sentence of which ends with the word "Go", made me feel rushed and irritated. Angela's frustrations came through clearly, as did her immediate relief once she found the resistance. The ending was heartbreaking but the ultimate message of appreciating each moment balanced that out somewhat. As some of us participate in small rebellions and resistances of our own these days, this book seems particularly relevant.

http://webereading.com/2017/05/spill-zone-and-decelerate-blue-or-ya.html show less