Bethanne Patrick

Recommended Reading: 'Spud"
November 5, 2007

I've been reading so much lately hat I've simply decided to devote this week to books I've recently loved. I hope that my mini-reviews/reports/what-have-you will inspire you to pick up one of these, or to tell us about something completely different that you have recently read and loved (and btw, thanks to all who left comments in the latest What's On Your Nightstand post... talk about inspirational! My list of Must Read Soon has grown exponentially.) 

Today's pick: Spud by John van de Ruit. I like Alexander McCall Smith a lot, but I'm going to respectfully disagree with his cover blurb touting the book as South Africa's Catcher in the Rye. I think van de Ruit's debut novel is more like a combination of Sue Townsend and Nick Hornby.

                                                     

I knew this book was strong when my old friend C. told me that her eldest son (age 13) devoured the galley she brought back from BEA. It's very, very funny, so funny that I annoyed Mr. Bethanne terribly as I giggled and snorted my way through it over the weekend (he's always trying to read things like Week in Review; not so many laughs, there). 

Spud chronicles a year in the school life of John "Spud" Milton, a young South African in his first term at private school. (I'll leave you to read and learn how he gets his nickname... suffice to say it's nothing to do with taties.) Between his completely mad parents, his hometown crush ("the Mermaid"), and his dorm mates (known as the "Crazy Eight"), Spud has his hands full -- and that's not counting his completely mad English teacher ("the Guv"), his attempts to win a spot in the school production of "Oliver!", and his mysteriously disappearing underpants.

Van de Ruit tells Spud's story through diary entries, which allows for a very immediate feel to the narrative -- important for the reader's sense that he or she is plodding through the school year alongside the intrepid protagonist. While there are enough cultural references to make jaded adolescents feel they're getting a bit of world lit, there aren't so many that the book feels precious. 

Spud Milton is a modern, Western kid, with modern, Western preoccupations -- it's appropriate and heartwarming that he has some feeling for the South African liberation movement (the book is set in 1990), but his burgeoning political consciousness quite rightly does not overshadow his burgeoning interest in girls -- after all, he's 13. However, you don't have to be 13 to enjoy this lighthearted and deadly accurate view of adolescence.

Posted by Bethanne Patrick on November 5, 2007 | Comments (1)