Lookaway, Lookaway

I rarely comment on books I don't finish reading. Or books I don't like much.
But I gave this one the "80-page Test" and am now returning it to the library.
And I'm only writing about it because before I even started reading this just-published novel-- set in Charlotte, NC according to the review and sounding quite intriguing-- I mentioned it to more than a few folks.

Sorry about that.

The New York Times review made me want to read it. Especially because I'm exploring and curious about what seems to be a proliferation of multi-viewpoint novels these days. (Kids' books included.)

Here's the last page of that otherwise positive review:

"My few complaints about this novel arise from my own greed. Because each character gets his or her own chapter, after a while the book takes on a drive-by quality. You settle in with Jerilyn and then, before you know it, you’re on to Gaston, then Jerene and so on. It’s the literary equivalent of speed dating, and it left me yearning for more, especially from Gaston and the ghastly Jerene, whose mysteries Barnhardt only begins to plumb. By the end, I felt like a starving man at a buffet — sated but still hungry. That’s not really a knock. 'Lookaway, Lookaway' is that rare thing: an excellent long novel that’s not long enough."

The cover also intrigued me. And the title! But that first chapter was pretty revolting, on many levels. And then we went into a second character, who at first seemed quite interesting. A writer! But man, talk about ruminating and pontificating way too long. Yep, that was my feeling about Gaston.


CLICK HERE for the entire review by Malcolm Jones. It's worth reading.

CLICK HERE for a link to the publisher's website where you can read an excerpt of the book.

Anybody else read LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY?
Some of the blurbers were my favorite writers! 
Maybe I should give it another shot? 
Maybe later. 
Today, it's due back at the library with a very long list of reserves. Others are waiting. I'll let them judge for themselves.