Why Apt Pupil by Stephen King Is An Incredibly Important Story That Many Need To Read

Mike continues making his way through Stephen King's Multiverse with part 2 of 1982's Different Seasons, Apt Pupil.
0:00 Intro & Excerpt Reading
3:19 Different Seasons Review Plans
4:01 What Is It About?
4:57 What Makes It Good or Bad?
12:06 Why You Should Read It
14:48 Final Thoughts
15:39 Multiverse Connections
Purchase Different Seasons Here: amzn.to/2QFZLLh (physical) amzn.to/32KuYlY (digital) amzn.to/3jxnSbr (audio)
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Excerpt music provided by Zakhar Valaha
/ @zakharvalahamusic
Music used: Epic Heart (No Copyright Music)
• EPIC HEART
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0(CC BY 3.0)
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Theme music provided by Infraction
/ @infraction
Music used: Epic (No Copyright Music)
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#MikesBookReviews #AptPupil #DifferentSeasons

[@andreasxanthros5853]

I find it interesting that the name Todd is nearly identical to the German noun Tod which means death. Maybe that's why Dussander never said his name. Great review, Mike!

[@mikesbookreviews]

That’s an interesting little nugget.

[@Goffasni]

I did not know that, thank you!

[@craigsovilla6578]

Maybe that was part of the reason why King never had him refer to him by name? If he says it, he's not only acknowledging the boy, but as well as everything he's been "teaching" him.

[@Philistine47]

I read _Different Seasons_ years ago, as a teenager. I remember thinking Spring and Fall were okay, but Summer was the one that haunted my thoughts and never let me go. Which seemed really weird at the time - the story didn't even have a hint of the supernatural, and in those days I thought "supernatural" and "horror" were synonyms. But "Apt Pupil" was just so damn unsettling.

[@tristananleu4677]

Love your booktubing Mike, your passion and clarity is addictive!

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Holy cow I just finished Apt Pupil...my first Stephen King book of my life, and it was one crazy and disturbing trip. Thanks for starting me in on King, Mike!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[@danielcadwell9812]

There's one set in Medieval times but I can't remember the Title, It's quite good though.

[@Themaninblack19]

Have you read Misery by now ??if you haven't do yourself a favor and do it , prepare to get creeped out , so good

[@madisongoodyear5040]

Awww! Just now seeing this. Memories!

[@turtleanton6539]

@@danielcadwell9812 Eye of the dragon

[@JerodimusPrime]

Mike I have to say that the intro to these books is one of the most beautiful things you've made. It's really a work of art. Thanks for putting in the effort to create something so inspiring.

[@flibber123]

I got a different impression of Todd in this story than you did. He is already a psychopath at the start, he just hasn't done anything sick yet. Proof of this is when he says you have to write about that stuff a certain way, you have to be careful. He was already manipulating the adults around him. And he wasn't doing it because he wanted something like videogames, he wanted access to material regarding some of the most evil acts committed by humans. His soul was lost before he spotted the Nazi, much less met him. The story, to me, is the story of one individual coming to the end of his twisted life while the other one was just getting his twisted life started. I didn't get the impression at any time that King wanted readers to think Todd could be saved from this path. I think the point of the story is we see him follow the path he's already on when the story starts.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Oh, he was definitely a psycho before he even met Dussander. Then he became a monster.

[@elliotgregory3356]

I agree 💯. Especially the bit about one life begining and the other ending. Very well put. He definitely was a pyscho in the making and by the mid 80's maybe a Patrick Bateman American Pyscho type man? Good looking, intelligent, good background....

[@jenniferschillig3768]

EXACTLY. If he'd been anything close to normal, he wouldn't have had to fake horror at the Holocaust...he would have FELT it. His interest didn't take the form of "God, those poor innocent people, how could this have happened?" but "Cool! Now I wanna hear all the REALLY gross stuff!" When he first read those Holocaust stories in his friend's dad's war magazines, he reasoned that if society really thought it was that bad, they wouldn't be running ads for Nazi war memorabilia on the following pages.

[@justaguy2365]

He definitely starts out as a Sociopath. Has no empathy at all

[@finnhollowbread2317]

I love this intro so much, great job Mike

[@JanuaryEmbers19]

I just found your channel and I’m so impressed! Love your intros and love these mini reviews with no spoilers.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Welcome! Glad you’re here.

[@hikethemike7349]

apt pupil has to be the most terrifying story I`ve ever read.

[@Je-Vette]

Agree ! I’m still haunted by the dreams Todd had. Some images one can’t get out of the mind

[@possessedslig]

The cat in the oven bit is what gets me, that's some hard reading

[@isaacpunch9295]

This isn’t any sort of direct connection, but there’s a part where Dussander is looking into adopting some dogs (for messed up reasons) and the employee mentions that they don’t have any of Dussander’s preferred Saint Bernards due to the fact that they didn’t last long in the pound since they are known for being really good with kids. I think a very subtle but intentional nod to Cujo that had released the previous year.

[@jonathansears7590]

Apt Pupil was disturbing, but also a very interesting read about the descent into evil. I read this and was like, yeah, this is how a person descends into darkness. Evil isn’t one choice. It is a thousand choices. Any of which could have been the one to break the descent.

[@JZETH_]

King has a way with words where he doesn’t necessarily need to have magic or supernatural elements to make you feel uncomfortable. I love it.

[@TheBookCure]

Totally agree about the cat scene. This story overall is one of the most unsettling I’ve ever read. A true demonstration of King’s talent. Great review, as always!

[@danecobain]

This was my favourite of the novellas in the collection mainly because of how visceral and challenging it was on like an intellectual novel. You're right though, the kid was too clearly batshit crazy from the beginning

[@MrPopemobile]

It was the grinning wasn't it? I think that was on purpose though. He didnt have to make it a 300-400 page book (where he could have unraveled Todd actually turning into a psychopath) he just sets the reader up to know right off the bat he already is.

[@danecobain]

@@MrPopemobile Yeah, which is fair!

[@adamrasmusson6976]

The intro to this video with excerpts from eat storie really captured the emotions of each story beautifully. Definitely subscribing.

[@southwestclown1314]

Amazing read. Highly recommend

[@sabrinavonhoegen4262]

Because it's not being said often enough: I love, love, love your intros! And I really appreciate the work you put into choosing quotes to use, the images, music. And without getting into politics too much here, I so agree that people need to stop calling everyone a Nazi that just happens to have an opinion that differs from their own. It's terrible and disgusting to all the victims of actual Nazis.

[@llywelyngruffydd8474]

Apt Pupil is one the darkest thing King's ever written. Todd Bowden is his most disturbing monster, imo.

[@baruch4256]

Wow literally just finished reading this before you posted

[@emosongsandreadalongs]

Surprisingly, I enjoyed Apt Pupil quite a bit more than Shawshank. Spoilers for Apt Pupil and The Dead Zone below: Another very small connection (maybe) is that at the end of The Dead Zone Johnny is buried near a grave labeled "Bowden." Some people speculate that that's where Todd was buried

[@mikesbookreviews]

Oh no kidding! I missed that.

[@YanniBG]

Such a great story this is! I really want to see the movie too.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

“Love has teeth which bite, and the wounds never close.” Those are some awesome lines you selected for the intro. From your analysis in this video, it sounds to me that King might be one of the most fearless writers when it comes to confronting and portraying the human condition.

[@rujoolpatil1227]

King doesn’t hold back . He goes disturbing places

[@veronaxd6391]

Just finished Apt Pupil. Wow. I think this was the first time I audibly gasped with my hand over my mouth and had to stop for a second (because my eyes were forced shut) while reading a story. That poor kitten. Great review as always by the way. 100% agree with your thoughts on the weight of words, and how important this is to read.

[@gavvo-7640]

Hey Mike! What a brilliant review of Apt Pupil. Undoubtedly one of Sai King's darkest stories. This was one of the reads that I found so disturbing it stayed with me for years. Also, gotta say, I thought the movie was great. Keep up the good work :D

[@EndlessLaymon]

I wish this story was a 300+ page novel. The idea of Apt Pupil is simple yet brilliant. Apt Pupil is the best story in Different Stories.

[@isaacpunch9295]

Chronologically, this is the most unsettling tale of his that I’ve read. Simply because it is rooted in reality. Truly disturbing. I couldn’t stop reading it. Finished it in one day.

[@LilFoxyCosplay]

Loved this story! Not a fan of the others but I do want to try them again

[@kevinsmith9502]

I read it for the first time in high school.I love that book.

[@Trist805]

I read it in 9th grade when the movie came out, and I reread it again this year. Great psychological thriller. Very poignant considering how it ends and what has happened in the time since I first read it, and when it was written.

[@Vangone-bu6vu]

The Anthrax song Skeletons in the Closet is based off Apt Pupil.

[@Jacob.R.]

I love this story

[@joeymarchesi]

When will you have the review for The Body posted? I am currently reading Apt Pupil!

[@madisongoodyear5040]

Yes! This is story is creepy AF. Love the intro.

[@lukefalkenstein4467]

omg different seasons is my first, still finishing the body, but amazing!

[@MrClark360360]

Hey Mike. Is that an actual hardcover of apt pupil (in the thumbnail)? Can you actually buy these books individually? I have the different seasons book which has all 4 stories together, and just finished reading Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (which was brilliant). About to start Apt Pupil.

[@danielvanrooyen9602]

Yeah this felt like instead of a coming of age story, we got a coming of a sociopath story.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Dude was a psycho.

[@leftspeaker2000]

If you have watched the movie, the ending of the book will take you off guard. I thought the book was enjoyable but the end really did it for me.

[@seanraines5871]

I watched the movie and then through movie reviews read heard about the ending of the story

[@okiejewels4560]

Came over from the Hail FB Group. I really enjoyed your thoughts about one of the most disturbing short stories King ever wrote, in my opinion. One thing I find in 99% of King’s work that keeps me reading can be summed up in one of the Shawshank quotes. There is always hope...and hope never dies. So good. Happy days and pleasant nights.

[@trevsteedman5184]

Thanks

[@fangs1972]

I appreciate, Mike, that you're not political with your reviews. It makes your channel a respite.

[@ChadQuick270W]

Apt Pupil is superb! Very dark subject but so well written and it makes a person stop and reflect on the events of the Holocaust. Like you, I enjoy true crime and have a well stocked library of books on that subject, but I don’t want to be a serial killer. Great review as always Mike. Enjoy your vacation 😎

[@custarddavidson8104]

Hey Mike... question for ya. Are you gonna do something like a ‘preview’ of your Fright Fest plans, or maybe a sneak peak of some of the books you’ll be talking about?

[@aut0maniak]

One of the best king's stories. Iam scared because this people probably existing somewhere I love your intros I got chills I think by this novella somebody can do Interpretation that's actually longer than think itself I don't think Todd is evil from beginning. I have similar obsession with cars like him with the nazis This book has the best King ending. All 3th act in one sentence? Let's go!

[@akicr7]

I just loved your perspective on Apt Pupil. It helped me to look at the story in different way. While reading I thought King might be part time serial killer because character's pov was just so fucked up. Definitely agree with you that Tom Bowden was not redeemable character from the start.

[@tyelerhiggins300]

I skipped the scene with the cat. I couldn't do it, which might be ironic given the subject matter here.

[@robinmoore7202]

Years ago, I used to devour every book by King but somewhere around Cujo, I stopped reading his work. I found most of them too depressing. That being said, I do remember reading Different Seasons and am enjoying your review. ☺️

[@Michael_L_Morrison]

You said the biggest monsters aren’t the monsters. They are the humans. I agree. Scooby Doo proved that on a weekly basis when I was a kid, and I didn’t realize it then. Not trying to poke fun of a serious thing. This story is every bit as good and disturbing as you said.

[@JaimeEnFuego]

The nasty behavior of Bryan Singer aside, I really enjoyed the adaptation of this story, despite going nowhere NEAR as dark as that novella ending which gave me major 'Cain Rose Up' vibes. Also, to echo your sentiments about the darkness in this tale, King may have dubbed 'The Breathing Method' as the HORROR story of the collection on various occasions for obvious reasons, however I find this tale IMMENSELY more disturbing than that one. Stoked to hear your thoughts on the two remaining seasons and props for doing these all separate. As you mentioned previously, one video covering all three would have been like an hour and a half, which is what I experienced this past weekend with FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT. Haha Major respect as always Good Sir!

[@mikesbookreviews]

I mean, I COULD do them all in one video, but I struggle getting major King interest on this channel as is. I figured a 90 minute video would chase most of them off. I felt like the movie really wimped out in the last 1/3. And the cat part!

[@theartistknownaszack9234]

I got a the book on ebay for like 4$ I'm so excited

[@jamesbusch948]

I agree with this being the darkest King has done. Still underrated as one of King's best as well. Great review👍👍👍 love you reviews!!

[@madisongoodyear5040]

Disturbing is the perfect word.

[@ariansun4879]

Came for the intro

[@No1emilybrowningfan]

Apt pupil is the only one of Stephen Kings work I can’t re-read because it is so disturbing. Brilliant piece of writing, but so dark

[@Teddy-px1dg]

Dear Lord I couldn't agree with you more I guess that's just Society you make very good points there's no doubt about that if people would just slow down and think

[@simonedwards9450]

Apt pupil is the only work of Stephen King’s I find hard to re-read. It is so disturbing and horrifying. I heard Stephen King couldn’t write for about three months after finishing this novella

[@suddalavijay6930]

I wanna ask you a question. Did you ever keep books with you forever that you brought from a library? 😂😂 I did.

[@danielcorey2156]

These intros are killer.

[@ioanaberbece8137]

This was so creepy. I should read it again.

[@mindriot91_96]

It's disturbing, it's brilliant and I'll never forget reading it. IMO, the best novella in Different Seasons. Yes, even better than Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. I adore the Shawshank Redemption *movie* . But Apt Pupil is the superior novella.

[@adamrasmusson6976]

The ending to apt pupil is the most disturbing thing I've ever read. Stephen King wrote that 17 years before Columbine happened.

[@austindehn5507]

When you hit Four Past Midnight, I'd do the collection in one video. Different Seasons gets a pass. I mean, its Different Seasons! But Four Past Midnight...

[@Unpaidfilmcritc]

I I Read it I think that he needed help psychologically because no one could go that far off the deep in my talking to someone like that I mean this book is just so dark I think it’s darker than it but that’s my opinion

[@user-dx1jb4zq9e]

Apt Pupil is straight up one of the darkest, weirdest things King has ever written. King has created a lot of memorable monsters like Pennywise and people can probably rank them on lists, but I think Todd Bowden is the most terrifying of all of them. I will say though that you're not going to learn anything about the real life Nazis in King's book. I have to disagree with you on this bit. It's clear that King himself only had the most general understanding of that history and didn't do any deep dive on it before writing Apt Pupil. And that's fine. It's not a political novel. Its purpose is just to entertain, which I think it does quite well. King's a great writer, but one of the weak points of his novels is that he very often has trouble imparting his trademark psychological and emotional realism to his villains, and this extends from his truly evil and monstrous characters right down to small minded bumpkins which are treated with a questionable lack of charity on King's part. If you really think about it, King's characters are always kind of Manichean and he made this explicit in The Stand. The remaining survivors of Captain Tripps segregate into good guys and bad guys. This is true throughout almost all of King's novels. In any story he wrote, you can actually just ask yourself if this or that character would have migrated to Vegas or to Boulder if they were transported to the world of The Stand. It isn't just a feature of King's fictional universe, it's also a feature of King's own mind. It's how he sees people. They are like him or they are "the other," "those people," etc. His villains very often are two dimensional cartoon characters. This works in some cases, but totally fails in others. A list of examples would be endless. Greg Stillson as a character worked because he was a kind of implacable political evil, an existential threat or a kind of archetype, but Bev Marsh's abusive husband in IT is such a silly and unbelievable comic book villain that it actually takes you out of the story entirely. Neither are particularly realistic when King should, in theory, be capable of that realism. He almost always blows it when it comes to villains. This is even true for Kurt Dussander, who King treats somewhat sympathetically when Dussander is thinking about his life as a lonely old man teetering on the edge of poverty, but notice he's able to do this only because Dussander has chosen to forget the past. He's a sympathetic character only so long as he's a lonely old man, but never when we're asked to think about him as a participant in the Holocaust. He explains repeatedly that Dussander himself doesn't even think of himself as a participant in the Holocaust because it was like something that happened to another person, a thing he had spent countless years refusing to think about entirely. There's a scene where Todd says "you're the monster, not me," and Dussander defends himself and describes the policy as "not of his choosing." He says it was like "a door that had been opened and couldn't be shut," but then King opts out and cuts this line of reasoning off by having Dussander say "you wouldn't understand." For King to go further with that line of reasoning would have been far above his pay grade and it's almost like he knew it. It's hard to write about evil and evil people from their point of view because it means you risk having empathy for them or defending the way they see the world. King was never able to solve this problem and instead often reduces the characters to being "the other." I suspect he couldn't solve this problem in his writing because he could never solve it in his thinking generally, which actually explains his occasionally obnoxious and overly simplistic views on contemporary political issues. This isn't just a critique of King as a writer, but of King as a person. In a lot of ways, I'd even go so far as to argue that because of this, King is uniquely unsuited to writing about something like the Holocaust or the politics of WW II. I also get the sense that King himself knows this on one level or another, which is why he treats the subject in such a vague way in the novel. If you just read Apt Pupil as entertaining horror story, you'll likely enjoy it, and that's really all it was ever intended to be anyway. I actually think it's one of the stronger things he's ever written if we're judging it solely on its merits as a work of horror fiction. It's top notch in this regard, but there's no historical, political, or moral truth in it, nor did King at any point ever intend for there to be.

[@cilanthropetunia]

I despise using animal torture in horror stories and wish authors could stop using this trope. Enjoy all your reviews, great intro.

[@llywelyngruffydd8474]

Burning humans is fine.

[@jasonnichols545]

This is one of my favorite King stories. They ruined it in the movie. I really think the whole point of the story was what is worse the devil you know or the devil you don't know. I think almost everybody knew that one kid that was an angel when adults were around but when there was no adults they were a sadistic little shit. I would bet that King based the story on his high schools bully.

[@mikesbookreviews]

They really wimped out in the movie.

[@jenniferschillig3768]

@@mikesbookreviews I dunno...you could make a case that the movie's ending is every bit as disturbing as the book's only in a different way. Because Todd, apt pupil that he is, has learned all of Dussander's tricks in addition to the sociopathy that was already part of him...and he's out there doing whatever he damn well pleases. And because he's good-looking and charismatic, he just may be able to get away with it for a long time. The final shots seem to confirm the idea, "Kurt Dussander is dead...long live Kurt Dussander." (Oh, jeez...what if this version of Todd Bowden actually ended up RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT?!)

[@seanraines5871]

I knew some of those kids. That's why I hated teachers pets. Soon as teacher was gone they weren't nice at all. I knew girls like that too. I could go into stories but that would overload my part of the KZbin section

[@llywelyngruffydd8474]

I hated the movie the first time I saw it years ago simply because it left the truly dark elements of the book out, but on re-watching it a few years back, I have to admit, it's good in its own right, just in a different way.

[@Trist805]

Apparently, the real racist in the book wasnt Dussander or Todd Bowden, it was actually Todd's baseball coach!

[@mathieuleader8601]

Family guy parodied the apt pupil in the episode german guy

[@titusmccarthy]

Who cares? Family Guy sucks and is for slope-brows.

[@M_aryAnne]

This story made me put these short stories on my TBR I love really messed up characters and this sounds right up that alley! And I agree just because someone disagrees with you about something doesn’t mean they are a Nazi, it annoys me when people do that cause they just sound dumb and I think they really don’t have an understanding of what a real Nazi is

[@coleholdren7822]

Great review man. So sick of hearing people with different political beliefs called a nazi

[@KakashiHatake-ou7mp]

Do you prefer to buy hardcovers?

[@Becix157]

I'm sure this video is totally demonetized! Anyway really good review Mike, I read this book this august because I bought different seasons and want to read a novella per season. Really disturbing but really well written story, you really feel sickened reading both Todd and Dussander's behaviours. And I think is Todd to corrupt Dussander, not the opposite. Later this month I will read The Body, really hyped about that

[@EarthSurferUSA]

Have you ever noticed in politics, one may be called a nazi, but nobody is called a communist? I say they are both the same evil, but a communist thinker will call anybody who disagrees with them a nazi or a fascist. I am a lover of individual liberty protected by law, (the opposite of commies and nazi's, kings and queens, dictatorships of every kind.), so I just group up all types of dictatorships as commies, so as not to confuse people. But it does confuse people, especially college grads. They will try to educate me about the differences of dictatorships, but I notice, they have no idea what the opposite of all of them are,----Individual liberty protected by law. I just explained how the actual founding of the USA is not taught in schools, and students "feel" they can pick what kind of dictatorship they want to live under? I also understand that how ever we live, we have to follow some kind of philosophy. Have you folks had a philosophy class in college? Does this ring a bell? We did not learn about the differences there either, between individual liberty and dictatorships. But instead, we were taught about a bunch of lunatics, (sans Aristotle, who was not taught correctly), who would have been institutionalized in a rational/free society. We had no idea why we got a good grade, were just glads the class was over, never to "think" of it again. Now, I know why. Boy,---those commies are tricky huh.

[@raumarsene9910]

I mean the entire red scare happened so I would disagree with you on that first sentence.

[@QueenCityHistory]

I love Stephen King. This story scares me to read. As a Jew I really don’t know if I can bring myself to read it. But isn’t that kind of the point of Stephen king? He pushes what you think you’re able to handle

[@kevinalbora562]

The movie didn't do this story justice.

[@TheJesseGladSaget]

Apt Pupil was brilliant. Might be the best novella SK ever wrote. The ending had me shook when I first read it. Todd is one of the most sickening characters King has ever written, and the movie REALLY dropped the ball in conveying this. Other than nailing the casting of the two main characters, the movie was a watered down piece of trash

[@llywelyngruffydd8474]

It's a much better movie if you don't compare it to the book. They're both good, but in different ways.

[@TheJesseGladSaget]

@@llywelyngruffydd8474 I agree that it's a good movie.. ONLY if you haven't read the novella. Like I said I loved the casting of Todd and Dussander, and the marching scene was great, but that movie was extremely underwhelming. It didn't even delve into Todd's descent into insanity. That was the main point of the story, IMO

[@IamROSO]

If you want to know more about genocide Nazi Germany is responsible, read Holocaust by Laurence Rees it's a very well written book. I can't wait when you get to "Heart's in Atlantis" I think it is in my top 3 favourite King books ever. I'm curious what do you think about it.

[@turtleanton6539]

Apt Pupil is scary and disturbing

[@jermaineperry8860]

This classic great non supernatural emotional evil feel possible criminal coming of age well pace horror story with society danger being negative and being with wrong person story

[@vivianworden2706]

That kid was so bad in Apt Pupil. I was starting to root for Deusander.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Ha ha yeah he was a psycho.

[@No1emilybrowningfan]

Apparently after he finished writing this, he couldn’t write anything for three months because he was that depressed

[@hrvojebekavac999]

Ja ću ti je ispovidit', ne boj se

[@FstopPicturesByAlunDavies]

Wasn’t a fan of the film will try it again

[@anthonyjordanmoviesandmore2470]

Thank you my only regret on this video is I can't hit like more than once Every time people throw words like Nazi or racist around or any variation there diluting the true meaning of the word

[@EarthSurferUSA]

Everybody has what is called a "sense of life", (how one views life). For examples, one's sense of life can be dark and evil, (as expressed by King), or it can be bright and good, (which IMO, was murdered in art, as the romantic era of art was murdered.). I will agree with you that the story is disturbing, so I can not give it praise. I don't confuse "dark" with "art"---because,------------------ What we praise, shows our sense of life also.

[@anarchistjesus7354]

I mean... Nazis were political. Talking about Nazis is always going to be political.

[@anteaters-R-us]

I hated apt pupil. It was way too long of a short story. The true horror of this book is in the first 2 chapters. After that its just a folie a deux bragging about their heinousness and its boring. “ the breathing method” was soooo much better.

[@llywelyngruffydd8474]

The Breathing Method is the weakest story in the collection and feels like it's tacked on just so the publisher could market it as a horror novel.

[@raynmooney]

I couldn't stand this Novella. Reasons: Our two main characters are incredibly unlikeable. The racists terms everyone uses throughout the story. Todd's Dad calling him "Slugger." Todd's 13 year old self sounding like a full grown adult. The number of times the term "wino" or "stewbum" were used, as well as many other terms repeated. Idk. I never felt this story had a strong enough backbone to keep me interested. I really struggled getting through the 190ish pages. Wish these characters/story went in a different direction from the initial, and very strong, set-up.

[@llywelyngruffydd8474]

The characters aren't supposed to be likeable. It's a story about a kid who is a sociopath who meets a fugitive Nazi. You're upset that the Nazi wasn't likeable? What's racist about calling your kid "slugger?"

[@raumarsene9910]

I mean it's fine to not want to read this type of story but I don't think having them be unlikable is a bad thing, the entire premise is about the descent into insanity. I mean what did you expect in like the first two chapters when it's revealed that the second main character is a literal nazi war criminal

[@raumarsene9910]

​@@llywelyngruffydd8474Yeah I agree, plus Todd plays baseball why would it be out of line for his dad to call him a slugger unless there's like some obscure racist connotation I'm not aware of