Let's Go Play at the Adams'

£9.9
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Let's Go Play at the Adams'

Let's Go Play at the Adams'

RRP: £99
Price: £9.9
£9.9 FREE Shipping

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Description

It’s an infamous novel. Indeed, due to scenes of youth-administered brutality and for having been so long out of print, LET’S GO PLAY has acquired an unholy contraband mystique. The reputation isn’t unjustified; the scene described above isn’t the novel’s most disturbing, or even a strong contender. The surprise, however, is that this notorious book, which depicts the worst bad behavior imaginable, is so good. Set in a rural but affluent Maryland countryside, told in fluid third-person omniscience, Johnson’s novel is an imperfect but unforgettable plunge into hell. A teenage boy, wielding a knife, tortures a naked young woman. She is tied to a chair, her mouth gagged. When the boy notices her pleading eyes, he feels not guilt or remorse, but annoyance. Then, in a stroke of inspiration, he solves the problem by blindfolding her. But make no mistake: the hot-blooded novel absolutely wins out. By the end, the story has evolved into darkest nightmare, a fitting close for a tale about the escalating nature of evil acts. And yet, readers hoping for a fast, trashy read will be disappointed. This is an impressively serious and richly detailed work—a parable of adolescent savagery drenched in sweaty late-summer atmospherics. The kids are vividly drawn, their power dynamics keenly observed. In group scenes, such as when the coldly reasonable Dianne registers that the leadership role has shifted from John to her, LET’S GO PLAY is often startlingly perceptive. This book is smart. But also problematic. The novel’s extremeness is of course part of its distinction; it goes too far, daringly. But even so. Do we really need multiple rape scenes? Or to see Barbara, naked and traumatized, through the perspective of not one, not two, but three different teenage male gazes? It’s at least safe to say, though, that Barbara has the author’s fullest sympathy and respect; if a reader doesn’t feel and root for her, the fault is with the reader, not the author.

BOOK REVIEW: “LET’S GO PLAY AT THE ADAMS’” IS A BRUTAL LOST

Barbara, a twenty-year-old college student, fun and friendly, and only mildly disciplining, isn’t an especially plausible kidnapping target. Why would children, even supremely fiendish ones, sideline a cheerful housekeeper and playmate? Their initial goal, remember, is only to achieve extra freedom. Johnson tries to justify it by making it a daring extension of their outdoor army games, yet it remains a stretch. The workload to keep her imprisoned is heavy; the extra freedom is light. Not to mention that they all understand that parental punishment likely awaits. Granted, Barbara’s sheer likeability is in one way a useful choice; it makes their escalating disregard for her even creepier. Still, a bummer babysitter, slightly older, less fun and more restrictive, would have enhanced the story’s believability as well as ratcheted up its kids-versus-adults dynamic.



  • Fruugo ID: 258392218-563234582
  • EAN: 764486781913
  • Sold by: Fruugo

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