Oh, boy!

            The Boys Next Door was easy for me to read, in that it engaged me with its wit and colorful characters. As I read the first few pages of the story, I playfully considered the possibility that everyone was mentally handicapped in the story. I was trying to figure out what style of writing this was, or what was in the author’s mind to make the characters act as unusual as they did. Eventually, when Jack finished monologizing his background to me, I realized I’d pretty much hit the nail on the head.

            After that, I found myself loving most of the characters more than I had imagined I would. Lucien seems very kind-hearted and is driven and motivated to learn and improve himself. His especially child-like character feels innocent and sweet. Norman never fails to crack me up with his, “Oh boy!” and seems like he would do whatever he could to make someone else happy, though he usually projects a generally selfish attitude. Arnold seems to be tenderhearted and I really felt for him after Jack exploded at him and he said, “You’ve got behavior patterns that are not fun, Jack! Not, I repeat, one bit fun!”

            I was pleased with Jack’s character in the beginning of the story. Caring for seventeen mentally handicapped adult men takes a special kind of person. Once Jack lashed out at Arnold verbally, I immediately hated his character, but after a moment, I realized I could understand his lapse in self-control, especially since he calmed down and even wondered if these men deserved a better man than he. Jack says, “They deserve better. Or I deserve better. Or somebody deserves something.” I wonder if this will be worth remembering through the rest of the story.

            Also, I can enjoy Barry, but he tends to annoy me more than the others. Only from a fictional perspective of course, I would be more sympathetic towards a real case of schizophrenia, but his general role in the story almost always causes me to sigh and realize his thoughts and “behavior patterns” are not truly his fault.

            I’m looking forward to finishing this story. I think I could grow from this story, depending on how it ends, which I will find out soon enough. It’s such a unique setting, with uncommon characters, perhaps the lessons to be learned would be difficult to find elsewhere.