≡

Book Review: ‘I Am (Not) the Walrus’ by Ed Briant

Gabrielle Bondi

I Am (Not) the Walrus is about a teen named Toby, who plays bass in a Beatles cover band. Toby is a pretty normal teenage boy. He plays rugby, music, slightly obsessed with girls, in particular his ex-girlfriend. However, one day when his bass breaks during band rehearsal, he decides to open it up to fix it. When he does, he discovers a note, written by a girl named Julie, saying that this bass was stolen and asking that whoever is in possession of the instrument to return it to her because it means the world to her. Toby is touched by Julie’s note and feels genuinely bad. But he has a gig coming up soon and possibly more after that. How can he play in a band without a bass?

The story starts off pretty slow. I sort of blame that on the book’s summary that I read beforehand. At the time, it didn’t seem like it gave the entire story away. In fact, it made it look very intriguing. By the time, I got to the end of the book I realized that I was given the majority of plot in that summary. Then it got a little confusing because when I went to my Goodreads to say I finished it, I stopped to look at I Am (Not) the Walrus’ page. On there is a totally different summary than the one I was given on my NetGalley Kindle version. I wasn’t surprised by that. I was surprised by the fact that it says that Toby had never kissed a girl, when in the story (the one I read at least), it says that he had an ex-girlfriend, and one of the reasons she dumped him was because of how “sex-crazed” he was. Hence, I’m a bit confused on whether or not the draft of the story I read is a lot or a little different from the final version. If I were to base it on the summary alone, it sounds like the final version is much better, but I guess I can’t really say.

Anyway, I’m reviewing the version I read, which I found to be a quick and semi-enjoyable read. Most of the time, I was waiting for the story to get interesting. Toby was a nice and smart character to read, and I enjoyed reading his interaction with others, in particular Michelle. I wish Michelle was a little more involved in the story. It was also humorous at times. But I Am (Not) the Walrus’ best assets are its dialogue and short page length. I finished the story within a day. So while it does leave you wishing it was a better book, at least it didn’t take up too much of your time.

I Am (Not) the Walrus could’ve been a lot more, and that’s what really stops you from liking it. It had a great idea and just didn’t execute it well. Here we had a well-written character in an intriguing situation and mix a little of The Beatles in? Sounds exactly like my kind of book. Yet, unfortunately, it kind of wasn’t.

Rating: 4/10 stars ★★★★

I Am (Not) the Walrus by Ed Briant hit bookstores today. You can purchase it at our TYF Store, powered by Amazon.

Book Info:

Advertisement

Advertisement

Exit mobile version