K. L. Going

So it's not a stretch to be standing on the wrong side of the yellow line giving serious thought to whether people would laugh if I threw myself in front of the F train. And that's the one thing that can't happen. People can't laugh. Even I deserve a decent suicide.

When Troy Billings meets skinny, semi-homeless, punk rock guitar prodigy Curt MacCrae on the subway platform he's contemplating whether throwing himself in front of a train would constitute a decent suicide. Soon Troy is buying show more lunch for his quirky, unreliable, dirty would-be savior. With a little lie, or so he thinks, here and there, Troy, the Fat Kid, finds himself being unwittingly propelled way outside his comfort zone and into Curt MacCrae's band. Thus begins Troy's journey to discovering that people aren't always what they seem including himself.

In Troy and Curt, Going has created a pair of all-too-human, realistic, and awesome characters. In the first person narration, Troy's voice is totally convincing. The story is full of his self-effacing wit, his considerable doubts and fears, his total befuddlement that this school legend of sorts, has, for some reason, chosen him, the Fat Kid to be his drummer. Troy barely sees himself as person, rather as the Fat Kid, and that someone considers him capable of doing something, anything other than huffing or jiggling or any of the rest of that "Fat Kid" stuff, catches him terribly by surprise.

And Curt. Curt is a brilliantly drawn character as well. Here's a kid that projects this self-assured street smart "I don't care what you think of me" sort of vibe, and yet, through Troy's eyes, despite Troy's total ignorance of it, emerges this scared, vulnerable, homeless kid for whom the only certainties in life are that things won't work out and that people can't be counted on. Troy needs someone to teach him his own worth, and Curt needs someone to be rock steady, and little does either of them know that that's what they need much less if they can be that for each other.

"That moment when you see through all the bullshit?" he says a moment later. "That's what punk music is all about. That's what anything great is all about. We're all just stuffing out faces, no matter what we look like, and people need to figure that out. When you can play that moment, you've got it."

This is a great story. It hooks you from the moment it begins. It's an unabashed look at really real characters. K.L. Going sets such incredible scenes and conveys poweful moments with few words, but not too few, and it all just works, and it definitely sees through all the bullshit.

I laughed, I cried, I loved it. show less

I wasn't sure about this one going in, but the further along I got, the more it grew on me, until the very end, by when I was in love. And I'm honestly not usually a fan of romances aimed at the teen set. This one felt a lot more honest, though, and less saccharine. The custody story line was sort of predictable, and there is a TON of marine biology in there, but, hey, I learned about cone jellyfish, so it was worth it just for that.

Much more disturbing than I thought it would be, but quite enjoyable. I like that Troy doesn’t miraculously lose weight at the end; he is still the fat kid, but he gets more comfortable in his own skin. Curt doesn’t want to move in with Troy and live happily ever after, but you really respect Troy for taking a stand. The music plot was very well written, and I think punk rock can really be an inspiration for teens. You can see that Curt’s character is very much inspired by Kurt Cobain show more and his tragic musical genius. Troy’s voice is an enjoyable read, especially his way of creating 3rd person headlines about himself, e.g.. Fat Kid is back in the game. show less

I recognized in Troy the self-deprecating humor I recognized in myself when I get upset about my weight or my current body image. It was uncomfortable to read sometimes, because his internal voice is so brutally honest with himself.

He tries to understand why everyone is laughing at him - and are they?

I didn't like Curt - but I did love him for giving Troy the courage through an odd friendship to be more than he was. To strive for more and to try to enjoy life. And for opening his eyes to show more the world - because even though Big T thought he spent all his observing, he really wasn't seeing what was right there in front of himself.

I also have to just Thank the author, K.L. Going, for not making this another story about a kid trying to lose weight. I'm so glad Troy didn't suddenly lose all his weight and have a great life and be able to be Curt's friend - all because he was suddenly thin. show less