The Blogosphere on The New York Four
Been meaning to post these. Lots of interesting (and flattering) reactions to the book:
Broken Frontier:
You have to wonder how much of Wood is at display in his books. From the ever hiding Megan in Local to the naivete of Matty in DMZ to the reluctance of Sven in Northlanders, the common thread is a social awkwardness. Sven and Matty have to be tough because they are the male hero of their story, and while Megan and Riley are just as tough, they are more likely to wear their emotions on their sleeve. Having met Brian, he is a nice guy. However, it is easy to understand how this quiet and lanky guy may have had a hard time standing out in the crowd. Does he turn inward as easily as his characters or is it an understanding of the human psyche that has come through keen observation of those around him?
The best writers will tell you to write what you know. I think Wood is writing semi-autobiographical stories in his best work, because the way I see it from Demo to this work, he has been meditating on the meaning and ramifications of identity….
Brian Wood has mastered the art of writing female characters.
The comments regress into the “men can’t write women” and “where are the women Minx writers”, and one person even suggested that I am dangerous and creepy for writing this book.
Newsarama - a “Ladies Choice” discussion:
Sarah: …I like that the lead character is a mess. And we get to hope she pulls out of it, but it isn’t neatly resolved.
Janelle: Well, they’re not caricatures or 2-D outlines. They’re very much three-dimensional. And as such, are flawed and a little crazy. Every character in this book is that way.
Sarah: Yes. Which is funny, because they could easily start out as stock characters. The sexy girl, the wild big sister, the socially-awkward girl, the tomboy, the artsy one…I can’t wait for Merissa’s story, personally. (Bonus points for two of the four not being white girls, too.)
Janelle: It starts as stereotypes and then becomes something much more. I can’t wait for any of the other stories. I think that Riley is definitely the one I personally connect with the most, but I also think that it will be interesting to read about the rest of them.
With the setting elaborately rendered by Ryan Kelly, it’s almost like being there. Apartments, cafes, subway cars, taxi cabs, libraries, bars, the interiors breathe NYC just as much as the skate parks, street scenes, museum exteriors and city parks. Over his 12 issues with Wood on Local… Kelly has developed a definite knack for visually capturing the feel and ambiance of a place, just as Wood is able to subtly identify its charm with words. Kelly not only groks the streets and surroundings of NYC, but the people as well
It’s a gentle plot, but it works because the characters are detailed and believable enough to make us care about them and their essentially universal problems. New York is used well; to be honest, you could do the same story in any major city with a university, but the story makes good use of the way Riley is able to slip into anonymity and isolate herself in the city crowds.
Shuffleboil
Beaucoup Kevin
Blurred Productions:
The great creative synergy that this team brought to Local is in full display here. The tone of the book skews younger (of course, this is a Minx book) but that doesn’t mean that Wood is talking down to his audience. While it is clear that Wood is playing towards Minx’s intended audience, he never allows whatever constraints the Minx line brings with it to overwhelm his story and his being in evoke character and place… There is no one I would not recommend this book to.
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