Novel Review For "Slam"

I read the novel "slam", with no idea what to expect. The book was luring and tempting to read. I never wanted to put it down. The witty comments made by the characters made the novel much more fun to read. I enjoyed the novel to no extent and wish it had continued for a while. The chapters were rather long, but it got the story's point across for that section,and made them much more comprehendable. The book was very easy to understand at first, but when the details started coming in and the climax came, you really needed to pay attention. So many different things happened. This makes the story have a parallel plot. This type of plot is easy to follow if you know what you're reading and take mental notes of the things that are taking place.

The story is about a boy named Sam who follows in the exact footsteps of his mother. She got pregnant with Sam at just sixteen and had a horrible relationship with his father that resulted in a later divorce that left Sam upset, confused, and lost. Sam met his girlfriend, Alicia, at a party his mother's friend was having. There he immediately fell for Alicia. She seemed like a snob and was very smart with Sam. She had no future plans for a career and she was just living each day as it came. She was a carefree spirit that had just lost a prior boyfriend because she wasn't ready to be intimate.

Until she met Sam, everything she believed in changed in the blink of an eye. She really had no morals set up and she didn't know where she was going to be a week from today. School really wasn't that important to her so she really lived lazily. Sam on the other hand had his future picked out but wasn't for sure what he wanted to do with a career. He wanted to go to college, get a degree and just live his life. He had past relationships with girls, but not intimate ones such as the one he developed with Alicia so quickly.

They began to get intimate whenever Sam came over Alicia's house. Then one day they forgot something and both of their lives went down hill from there. About three months later, Sam and Alicia had ended because Sam lost feelings. Alicia loved him though, but he didn't understand what love was and if he felt the same way. Alicia became pregnant and the months until their baby, Roof, odd name huh? , was born were complete and utter chaos. They weren't ready to raise a child, when they were just children themselves. They fought constantly but got back together when Alicia had her first ultra-sound.

Sam didn't love Alicia and was so confused about everything. He lied and told her he loved her when he didn't even think she was attractive anymore. Sam got whizzed around into the future when he fell asleep and everything that happened in the future happened to him when the time came. He changed a few things but the order still followed. Everything finally came together for the two. They raised roof together and became a good family none the less.

Setting & Point Of View In "Slam"

The setting in my novel is very key to the story. The setting is in London, which explains the language and the way the different characters word things. Example, "bloody hell" is something we hear only an Englishman says it. Such as, when John Lennon or George Harrison would speak we hear their thick English accents. They say things such as, "bloody hell". The setting also effects the plot when Sam runs away to Hastings, a small town outside of London. Most of the places in London aren't in Ohio, so when one of the characters mentions a fish and chips shop, we know we're not in our normal habitat. The author, Nick Hornby, strategized the setting in a unique and gentle way. There are many things in London that vary to the things we have in Ohio. I enjoy the setting. personally, for the reason being it gives the story an interesting perspective. We all know the setting is one of the main elements in a story and that it contributes to how the story takes place and the language that is used because of it.

The point of view in the story is very relative to all teenagers. When we think we're in love all these ways of describing it can make us fall in love with the characters. This story is told from a first person omniscient point of view. Here we have a 16 year old boy named Sam who follows in his mother's footsteps getting his love, Alicia, pregnant. We learn of his struggles and his inside feelings and what he really thinks when he isn't speaking . We also become aware of the struggles that come along with such a responsibility. He has alot of person vs. self struggles that help us better comprehend most of the situations found in the book. He gets whipped into the future and has more troubles than prior to that. He's up and down and through it all we hear everything that goes on. We hear every conversation to his poster of Towny Hawk to every personal thought of his. Because the story is told in this perspective, this makes the story more understandable and easier to comprehend. Many people can also relate to the feelings he describes about Alicia, his girlfriend. He feels like every normal teenager does when put in the difficult situation of Un-expected parenting.