Jen's Reviews > Muscling Through

So much has been said about this book, and I'm not sure what I have to say will be half as eloquent as other people's reviews, but I'll give it a shot.

I am pretty stingy with 5 star ratings, but this book earned one. For one thing, the prose was beautiful. And though Al's accent was written into it (which I usually can't stand), it never got obnoxious. The author knew just how much to throw in to keep it alive, but not annoy the audience. So... bravo, Merrow.

I was worried when I read other people's reviews that I would have problems with Larry for the same reason his sister does initially - I was worried it would feel like he's taking advantage of Al. I have huge problems with stories about abuses of power (particularly sexually), and I was waiting for this one to go that route.

But it didn't. I never really had problems with him. And I'm fairly certain it's because their relationship never felt truly unequal to me. They both bring something to the table - while Larry has the brains, Al is the nurturer, and is actually more emotionally mature in some ways. There was only one point in which I got truly frustrated with Larry, and it was when (view spoiler)[he didn't bother asking Al about the Ren situation, and instead just got all distant and resentful. Not that I don't understand why - I do. It's possible I would have reacted the same way, had I been faced with that situation. But he knew that Al doesn't always understand those kinds of behavioral cues, and so he made them both miserable for nothing (hide spoiler)]. But apart from that, I bought his love for Al, hook, line, and sinker. Their relationship felt like a genuine give-and-take to me, and who wouldn't love such a sweet, thoughtful, passionate person? And he's an artist?! I would be swooning all over that, too.

Al... I understand why everyone is so in love with him now. I honestly can't decide if I think he's got something like Asperger's, or if he was just a product of his upbringing (or perhaps a slight mix of both), but in the end it didn't matter. What killed me most about Al was his society-programmed self-deprecation combined with his humble acceptance of it. No matter what your IQ is, it goes to show how unconsciously damaging words can be. I'm a woman with 2 degrees, and like to think I'm at least somewhat intellectually competent, yet I have had similar thoughts, feelings, and words about my looks that Al does. It's... devastating. And so, so human. But the person who loves him thinks he's beautiful, and sometimes that's all it takes.

This story was so... lovely. So human. The melancholy moments, which are a part of everyone's life in way one or another, were balanced out by the funny and happy moments. And it made cynical me believe, even if it was just for a moment, that there really is someone out there for everyone.