The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I watched the movie at least ten years ago and the story had such a great impact on me that it was impossible for me to read the book without comparing it scene for scene to the movie version for just as long. However, as I was waiting in the bookstore to meet someone, I picked up this book and began reading. Within the first three pages I was hooked.
Narrated from the point of view of the main character, the story has a very honest and gritty voice that brings the reality of the lives of these boys and young men this much closer. The protagonist is multidimensional, realistic and makes it easy for the reader to feel for him and with him. The secondary characters are very well developed and are a vital part in this representation of a difficult life, reality as experienced by those whose fortune was a little less than kind.
The plot was straightforward and easy to follow as the narrator shared this story in a very intimate manner. A chain of events that takes the reader from point A to point B without any distracting side plots, details or attempts to be poetic.
The writing was clear and crisp and, as mentioned above, refrained from any unnecessary and painful tries to squeeze more out of the story. The story spoke for itself; the struggles described and the difficulties experienced were more than enough to make this story a haunting tale of teenage life much harder than it should ever be, that goes beyond acne and glasses.
I must admit, if I had not seen the movie over a decade ago, this book would have been even more haunting and strangely beautiful than it already was. Personally, I would have loved to study this book during my school years, since it focuses on the class and societal divisions that so often seem to go unnoticed in the everyday life of the study of young adult literature in the school curriculum.
