The Compulsive Move by Philip Cornell (Book Review #82)

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Jeyran Main

This review is written for Online Book Club

“I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.”

The Compulsive Move is a book written about a boy named Kevin. From the beginning of the book, I noticed something different. The way the story is told is through a third person but in a very weird way. The third person speaks about the story using terms like “Do you know what I mean?”, “As you can see” or “Don’t get me wrong.” The book claims to be a fiction. However, it is not written like one. I did not like the literature and strategy used in telling the story.

Kevin is a confused teenager trying to figure out what he wants in life and what path he should take. His family is normal, and nothing is alarming or confusing about them causing Kevin to behave abnormally. He has friends and even has a love interest, J’Adore.

This ten-chapter book covers his journey to Chicago only because he is accepted into university. His money runs out, so he starts dealing drugs and smoking marijuana to make ends meet. He is in the wrong crowd giving him the wrong guidance. A robbery shakes Kevin to his core diverting him back to doing the right thing and working for his money.

I found the story to be very basic. There are no twists or big reveals. It does not even discuss real issues teenagers face. Even when he is dealing with drugs or smoking, I was expecting more emotions, turmoil, questions and doubts, possible anger or resentment or just something related to what teenagers face these days. There are references in making fun of people that are a transvestite, which was uncalled for. The book also contains too many grammatical, sentence structure and other issues that need a professional editor to fix.

There was no significant execution of the difficult tasks a teenager faces. However, it does, cover issues where teens face entering university, funding, and living alone away from their families. The author does also reference how hard it is living in a job where you really do not see any self-worth.

I will end this review wishing the author all the best in his next work.

Written by Jeyran Main

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