Review: An Enjoyable Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 13, 2012
Jumbo, by Todd Young was a fabulously edited (I have to add that because so many m/m books are not!) novel about Mitchell, a boy with a big problem about his size, resulting in a cruel nickname used by so many people around him. As a senior in high school, he has a lot to deal with it, but he does so quite immaturely. While he seems smart, he is lacking in many areas that cause those around him to think he's feigning innocence; but he is really just that.Young does not characterize his characters very much, but he gives you enough to form an opinion on them, I think. While in third person, the story is told from Mitchell's point of view, and this leads me to believe he may be slightly bipolar. At times I found myself frowning because of something he thought or said, making me think that it may have been out-of-character for him. This is of course because things sort of build up around Mitchell then come at him all at once--which is hard for him to deal with. With that said, I do not think he deals with it particularly well.I read Jumbo in one sitting, and I really enjoyed reading it. I am a senior in high school myself, and I felt like the things going on around him were mostly relate-able from the point of view of someone his age. I did not feel like things really went over-the-top, and the high school drama was pretty normal--aside from a few things that were addressed at different points during the novel as such.