Even though I finished reading Justin Tussing's novel The Best People in the World only a day or two ago, I'm already forgetting most of what I wanted to say about it. All in all, I liked it. The first-person narrator's voice is original and credible enough that I'll be curious to see what Tussing comes up with next—in other words, is that really just his voice or is it in fact his narrator's voice? There were some very nice passages and descriptions, enough to keep me going even when the book slowed way down for the second half or so.
It's the story of Thomas, a 17-year-old boy from Paducah, Kentucky, who is swept off his feet by Alice, his 25-year-old teacher. They leave town together, along with Shiloh, a mysterious but good-hearted drifter who knows how to do everything to survive (like tap into the county's electricity in the Vermont house where they become squatters, trap and skin and cook rabbits, and so on). The whole story takes place over the course of a few months in 1973–1974, and that time period was depicted very authentically.
The main problem I had with the book was the secondary plot called "Two Men" that appears before each major section. It's about these guys who travel around the world investigating "miracles" for the Pope. It was really bizarre and did nothing to enhance the main story for me, even when there was, finally, a tie-in.
Because of their isolation and hunger, the characters become depressed, paranoid, desperate, and just plain weary of everything, and that's how I ended up feeling. I did enjoy the story and the characters, so I guess it just went on too long for me. It got lots of rave reviews, though, so don't cross it off your list on my account. I am glad I read it; I just can't give it a really enthusiastic recommendation.
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