SuitabookCharacter, driven
David Lubar
- Reading
- Read a few chapters first to test whether the comic voice and wordplay work for your reader. Check in before or after the more serious shifts, especially around sex, family strain and violence.
- Themes
- Creative ambition and independence: Cliff wants to pursue visual arts while his father takes money from Cliff’s college savings and dismisses creative work; living arrangements may become part of the dilemma. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Self-aware teenage narration: Cliff narrates directly, jokes with the reader, acknowledges that readers may differ from him and reflects on the process of telling his story. The technique appears central to how the novel presents Cliff as funny, flawed and increasingly self-aware; whether every reader finds his voice sympathetic remains open.
- Romance and emotional change: Cliff becomes attracted to transfer student Jillian while recalling earlier failed romances and relying on friends and teachers during senior year. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Consider previewing the book if sexualised thoughts, references to breasts and desire for sex, a teacher’s drunkenness, violence, family financial stress or sudden serious turns may need context.