Guy in Real Life

by Steve Brezenoff

[meowstina]

I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The description doesn’t reveal a lot about the main plot, so I was semi-intrigued to find out how the mentioned themes intertwine and are presented. Unfortunately, after reading the book, I am just as confused as to what it is about.

The story starts out slowly with introductions to Lesh’s and Svetlana’s lives from the perspective of each, but it kind of stays that way for most of the book. It’s a lot about their separate lives before they become close, which is fine, but neither seem to have direction. I don’t exactly know why readers are exposed to each event that happens because they don’t seem to result in an end message or goal. I also don’t know why there are chapters from the perspective of the game Lesh is playing, because I don’t feel they add anything to the story that couldn’t be told from his perspective playing instead. Unless I’m missing something? Maybe I’m not seeing how everything connects, when in fact it does. Upon (deep) reflection I can kind of glean how this story is about how difficult it can be to explore and establish identity, especially with familial and peer pressure. For the most part, though, I didn’t see the point of the story, or the main theme.

Forgive me if I don’t get the terminology right, but the book is a lot more invested in online gaming and RPG than I thought it would be. It’s not something I’m into, but I still respect that others like it. I tried to understand it and focus more on the storyline, but it’s such a huge part of the book that it was a little difficult. I am not a huge fan of fantasy, which is what these games are based on, but I tried to not let it deter me from enjoying the book. The games’ roles ended up having a little impact, but not a whole lot.

Though the above are problematic for me, the writing, narrative, and characters are really well done. The main characters in particular each have distinct, strong personalities and ways of dealing with the world. It’s enjoyable to read from each of their perspectives and get involved in their lives (though some of the people they interact with are very grating).

I have no problem with the characters or narrative, only with the pacing and how the themes don’t really present themselves (at least obviously to me), leaving me wondering what the point of the book is. The end offers high stakes and a little more clarity into what the characters’ journeys are supposed to culminate in, but leaves me confused as to how the rest of the book relates to this revelation. While (aside from the slowness) I mostly enjoyed reading this novel, maybe someone with the same interests as the characters will appreciate it more. Or maybe there is a clear point, and I completely missed it.

EDIT: After reading around a bit, I saw that some people explained this book as exploring gender roles - which I can also clearly see upon reflection, so that’s a theme I missed while reading.