Sara Levine's unnamed 25-year-old protagonist and narrator of Treasure Island !!! is a pretty insufferable
person, with no real redeeming qualities. But somehow, Levine managed to write
a good, first-person story through an unreliable, mean, and unstable
narrator.
The plot involves the protagonist developing an obsession with the Robert Louis Stevenson'sTreasure Island . She
attempts to learn lessons from the book and start a new life based on four
qualities she admires in Stevenson's character Jim Hawkins: BOLDNESS, RESOLUTION,
INDEPENDENCE
There are a few important aspects to the book that make it so readable, even though the protagonist is so self-centered and cruel. First of all, before things start to get really tense in the very last few chapters of the book,Treasure Island !!! is incredibly humorous
and well-written. Levine knows how to combine black humor and absurdity to
create funny sketches and scenes. Secondly, the supporting characters are all
sympathetic and help ground the book in reality through dialogue. These
characters, especially the protagonist's family, also have their own problems
that help shift the direction of the book away from the protagonist's self-made calamities and help raise the emotional stakes in the novel.
Lastly, the book serves as the anti-guide of how to live your life. Where as the protagonist finds a way to live a "good" life by studying Stevenson's Jim Hawkins, I've discovered exactly how to not live my life by studying Levine's protagonist. We have a lot of things in common at the moment, with both of us moving back in with our parents and all. As long as I stay away from the protagonist's versions of BOLDNESS, RESOLUTION,INDEPENDENCE
If you enjoy a quirky book with an unreliable narrator and some fierce humor, thanTreasure Island !!! is something worth checking out.
The plot involves the protagonist developing an obsession with the Robert Louis Stevenson's
There are a few important aspects to the book that make it so readable, even though the protagonist is so self-centered and cruel. First of all, before things start to get really tense in the very last few chapters of the book,
Lastly, the book serves as the anti-guide of how to live your life. Where as the protagonist finds a way to live a "good" life by studying Stevenson's Jim Hawkins, I've discovered exactly how to not live my life by studying Levine's protagonist. We have a lot of things in common at the moment, with both of us moving back in with our parents and all. As long as I stay away from the protagonist's versions of BOLDNESS, RESOLUTION,
If you enjoy a quirky book with an unreliable narrator and some fierce humor, than
(Note-I couldn't really come up with a playlist for this one. Oh well!)
