Buckeye

by Patrick Ryan

I kept waiting for Buckeye to become the novel all the rave reviews promised, but for me it never got there. I found it more frustrating than compelling, with characters who never fully came to life and a story that failed to leave much of an impression. In fact, not long after finishing it, I realized I could barely remember most of the characters or what made them distinctive. While there may have been moments of strong writing, the book ultimately felt surprisingly forgettable, especially given the considerable hype surrounding it — some media called it one of the best books of the year — I guess those people only read one book that year. Apparently there’s a character named Cal, but damned if I know what he did, and I certainly couldn’t describe a scene or the story. Unfortunately (or perhaps not), this was one of those reads that disappeared from my memory almost as quickly as I turned the final page.