Review: Quirky and Funny Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 26, 2014
Young Master Bates, by Ace Sidney was quite the enjoyable read. Sidney has a clear and distinct voice that draws the reader in from page one. The premise starts out simple enough with an ordinary boy born into privilege bestowed upon him an unusual family name. However, the young boy throws away his own wants and dreams to perpetuate an image for his family, and the whole book builds on the idea of how desperate some become to perpetuate an image. In the case of Pom Jr., perpetuating the image becomes more desperate when he decides it’s the only thing he has left after losing his “manhood.” I know by all intents and purposes, Pom Jr. is not meant to be a likable character. The reader is certainly not meant to like Pom Jr. by the end. However, Pom Jr. started out pretty likable before being corrupted by Pom Sr., so I couldn’t help but feel for the character when his life fell into such desperation and trickery. The lengths Pom Jr. goes to keep his charade going is borderline cartoony and comical, but it helps the reader in going forward and wondering, “just how much further will he go?” The story benefits from its quirky premise and its daring to keep pushing the bar of absurdity. It was definitely a well crafted story, and an enjoyable read!