How I Paid For College

So this is the book I keep talking about. Full title and author: How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater by Marc Acito. Mind you I STILL haven't finished it, so many of these thoughts are impressions while reading. To catch everyone up these are what I've said to Leila about it already:

• Ok, So, I read a few more pages yesterday....and it took quite the unexpected turn. I don't know if I should tell you what happened, because I think it should be unexpected (well, there were hints, but I never expected a YA book to go THERE), and I don't want to color your reading of it. But, this new plot twist has me going, "OK, so it has annoying characters, it has references to 20 year old culture, it has musical/drama in jokes, and NOW it has a (it may have more, I haven't gotten that far) scene that will have numerous parents running for their torches. What exactly does it have to offer the YA community?" So, yeah, I need a few more opinions on this one, and some discussion. I am the LAST person who would censor this scene, but I also am aware of what tweaks all those crazy book censoring folks out.
• The rant that's brewing about this book is just getting too big. I'm tempted to read Shadowmancer to see which one wins the "Worst Book I Have Ever Read" contest.
  My current recommendation is keep it in Adult (actually my current recommendation is send it the fuck back to B&T and get our money back and spend the $13 - after discount- on someting worth while like Paris Hilton's memoirs. Atleast folks will WANT to read that crap.)

Ok, I may be being unfair about this book because I was expecting a YA book. It's about a boy in his senior year of high school (and the summer before) who wants to go to Juliard to be and ACTOR. His dad being a business guy, thinks this is useless and tells boy that he won't pay for something so frivolous. Boy (Edward for those who care) needs to figure out how he's going to get into said college and, supposed, hilarity ensues.
Why would I think this wasn't a YA book? It has all the elements that generally make up a good YA book: high school setting, going against parental unit, finding oneself, discovering one's sexuality, a struggle to get into college.
Ok so we put it in the adult section. But I have to ask, how many adults would care about this book? It doesn't relate to them, it about high school kids. Your average adult (who doesn't normally read YA lit) why would they care about a 17 y/o struggling to go college against dad's wishes. They wouldn't. But unfortuneatly the humor revolves around culture that's 20 years old.

"that I am to lead the Play People Parade like the Pied Piper or the Dr Pepper guy."

The Dr Pepper guy? I BARELY remember those commercials.
Then there are the DOZENS of references to plays, musicals, movies that the humor revolves around that if you don't know what he's talking about makes you feel like you are sitting in a group of folks who have all their own in-jokes that you were never a part of.

"I imagine us growing up and getting married (to women, I mean) but still carrying on annual clandestine trysts in the manner of Same Time, Next Year."

"It's not long before the place [his house after a party gets going] looks like Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights."

and you guys can use your imagination to figure out what this next scene has to do with.

"Of course Doug is reluctant, but eventually I wear down his resistance by telling him he doesn't have to touch me and if he just closes his eyes, well, a mouth's a mouth, right? I even go so far as to sing a little of Aldonza the whore's song from Man of La Mancha"

These references are not few and far between. They happen every 2-5 pages.
There are also atleast 3 times where the author (posing as Edward as this book is told in the first person) describes what the movie of his life would be like.

"When they make the movie of my life, this trip will definately have to be another of those montage sequences filled with madcap adolescent high jinks"

Quite honestly I feel this comes off as pretentious not humorous.
I have to stop at this point. I may say more in another blog when I actually finish this book. but to sum up:

• Is this book engaging enough to finish? No, but I've come this far I might as well finish it.
• Do I care about the characters? No, I think they're all pretentious assholes.
• Does it speak to its intended audience? I have no idea who its intended audience is. That's one of the problems with this book. It seems like it was written for the author's 3 friends. Or maybe just so the author could hear himself talk.
  
• It is original? Not particularly. I've read other books that deal with similiar issues and handle them better, probably because they choose an audience.

Spell check's not working in my browser, so deal.