I'll start this off by being completely honest. I don't read much. The most recent book I've read would have to be umm hmm.....You know I can't even remember (Yeah that says a lot about me doesn't it?). Anyway when I do read I try to make a general effort to make sure it's a good book at least.Usually one that is recommended to me by people. So that brings me here with Theodore by Sofia Fasos. Now this book was not recommended to me. In fact it was required reading for a class I'm taking right now. My expectations for it were kind of low I'll admit. I was expecting it to confuse me. Leave me wondering "why the hell was this mandatory reading?". Or something along those lines. But you know what ended up happening? The book left a huge impression on me. Something I was not expecting at all. I found myself intrigued by it. I needed to keep reading to see what would happen next.
In a nutshell the book is great. Definitely one of the most intriguing books I've read in a long time. Now you may be asking yourself "Gee what exactly makes this book so good Phil?" Well, to start off it has a very diverse set of characters. Each one shrouded in their own secrets. Obviously you have a young man named Theodore and the book mostly centers around his life and whats going on with his immediate family. Specifically his mother, Medea. The two of them have such a, let's call it "unique" relationship. Reading to see how the two interact is one of the best things about the book. There are plenty of other characters in the book and it would take me far too long to list each one of them. But in my opinion, what happens with them pales in comparison to the interactions of Theodore and his mother. Of course with such a huge cast of characters it may get just a bit confusing remembering who these people are or who's married to who but by the end of the it you should be more or less familiar with them.
The novel also does a fantastic job of showcasing the Greek culture. I mean you could use it as a window to Greece. From the in depth details of the locales to the explanation of customs and culture. Sofia Fasos really wants the reader to learn about Greece. It carefully and explicitly explains the customs, words, and locales. To be honest I felt like I had just took a trip to Greece, met a disturbed family, lived with them for a brief period of time and left knowing I had a bunch of stories to tell for the years to come. That should illustrate to you how vivid the writing is. The book is very detailed. Especially in the darker parts of the story. Ahh yes. The novel is dark. Very dark. It starts off with a pretty weird and detailed scene that left me wondering if I even bought the right book (and that's all I'm saying about that...).
My favorite aspect of this book ,however, has nothing to do with the characters or anything about the setting. Simply put I love the amount of charm that is present in the book. Sofia Fasos really did a great job with the writing. As I kept reading I noticed that the book itself did not really feel like a book. After a while I felt that the book served as a blueprint to what could possibly be a really interesting movie. (Hopefully an independent movie since well Hollywood is....actually let me not get into that now. I'll rant on for hours...OK back to the review!) In fact it reminded me a lot of Garden State and The Royal Tenenbaums. I first felt that way when i noticed early on in the book that every chapter introduced a new character. This confused me a lot in the beginning. I remember thinking back and saying to myself "Who are these people?! What happened to the people at the end of the last chapter?!" As I read on of course I saw that every chapter could be a transition of scene. That by the middle of the book everyone came together. Like a web, there are many strands in this massive Greek family. So each chapter early on ended up being dedicated to introducing the reader to a different family member and how they impact other main characters.
Within this lovely novel are issues of homosexuality, social identity, and perhaps the most important theme, self. You see Theodore figure who he is and most importantly what he isn't. It's really what makes the novel so interesting. Trying to figure out and guess where Theodore will ultimately end up. There is also murder in the book so really it lends itself to anyone with even a remote interest in books. Hopefully this review made you curious about the book. I can't recommend it enough. I believe there is something here for everyone. It's not a long book either so that's even better! I do have to thank my professor for making this mandatory reading. Otherwise I would have missed out on this gem of a novel. So do yourself a favor and buy yourself a copy. You won't be disappointed. You will also have a deeper appreciation for hamsters. I'm not kidding about that.
