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Shy
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
14 posts | 10 read | 7 to read
A novel about guilt, rage, imagination, and boyhood, about being lost in the dark and learning youre not alone This is the story of a few strange hours in the life of a troubled teenage boy. You mustnt do that to yourself Shy. You mustnt hurt yourself like that. He is wandering into the night listening to the voices in his head: his teachers, his parents, the people he has hurt and the people who are trying to love him. Got your special meds, nutcase? He is escaping Last Chance, a home for very disturbed young men, and walking into the haunted space between his night terrors, his past, and the heavy question of his future. The night is huge and it hurts. In Shy, Max Porter extends the excavation of boyhood that began with Grief Is the Thing with Feathers and continued with Lanny. But here he asks: How does mischievous wonder and anarchic energy curdle into something more disturbing and violent? Shy is a bravura, lyric, music-besotted performance by one of the great writers of his generation.
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SassyPants617
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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First book by this author. I‘m loving the cassette tape on the cover. Brings back fond memories of recording favorite songs off the radio. 🤣🤓

AnneCecilie I know and listening to radio ready to record and then the hosts would start talking in the middle of the song and you would have to do it all again. It‘s such a generational divider 10mo
SassyPants617 @AnneCecilie omg. Yes! That was the worst. 🤣 It truly is a generational divider. I‘m happy to have been able to be apart of that time and seeing how things have evolved through the years. It‘s pretty cool. I sometimes stop and think about something random like, how did we even get places without gps? Because I‘ve just become so accustomed to it. 10mo
9 likes2 comments
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rmaclean4
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Pickpick

Short poetic story of a boy that holds a lot of pain and rage. I could only get the audio but would love to read the physical book one day. His use of language is brilliant. Lanny is still my favorite book of this authors. 4 🌟

20 likes1 stack add
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AnneCecilie
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Pickpick

A troubled boy packs a sack with stones and leaves. On his way to his destination, that the reader can guess at, he starts to think about how he got where he his.

plemmdog Grief Is The Thing With Feathers blew me away. If this is half as good, I need to add it to my list! 13mo
Read4life 🍁👻🎃 13mo
TheSpineView Well done! 13mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 13mo
55 likes5 comments
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TheEllieMo
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Mehso-so

Porter‘s writing style is hugely evocative, and this deep dive into the thoughts of a teenager who is walking towards a pond with a rucksack full of rocks is both deeply disturbing and brilliant - for the first 75%, and then, for me, it kind of went off. I‘m going to see a dramatised reading of the novella next month, perhaps the last 25% will make more sense then.

Book 4 #SummerEndReadathon
Book 9 #Rushathon

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 1y
TheSpineView Excellent! 1y
29 likes1 stack add2 comments
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AmandaBlaze
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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1. Shy by Max Porter
2. I really liked Lanny and wanted to read the rest of Porter's books. His style is unique and so lyrical.
#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Thanks for the tag, @eeclayton!

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 1y
eeclayton You're welcome ☺️ 1y
20 likes2 comments
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AmandaBlaze
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Pickpick

I was blown away by this book, which gives the inner thoughts and night terrors of a troubled teenager named Shy. Porter has his signature lyrical prose turned up a notch further than his previous works. There aren't mythological characters in this one, but they are replaced by ghosts that haunt Shy's mind. A beautiful and heart-rending book. 5 stars
#20in4
@Andrew65

jlhammar I really enjoyed his last two so excited to try this. Glad to hear it's a good one! 1y
33 likes1 stack add1 comment
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AllDebooks
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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#BookSpinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

So close to a full board!!! A great months reading, no bails; 6 poetry books for my theme of the year; 6 arcs ticked off for #NGGSummersmashup
#Bookspin - tagged 4⭐️
#Doublespin Once there were wolves by Charlotte McConaghy 5⭐️ one of my top fiction reads of the year. Can't wait to read Migrations by her for #NaturaLitsy August read.

Tea_and_Starstuff That's a very robust looking bingo board! Well done! 1y
AllDebooks @Tea_and_Starstuff thanks!! It was hugely enjoyable 😊 1y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Fabulous month!!! 1y
37 likes1 stack add3 comments
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JenP
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Pickpick

I love Max Porter. Grief is the Thing with Feathers is one of my favorite books. I love his writing style which I find wholly creative and innovative. And his books address important philosophical, social, and emotional questions. This book was no exception. Centered around the experience of a troubled teen, it‘s beautifully written — you will find yourself reading it aloud— and dives right into masculinity and inner struggles of young men.

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jhod
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Heard the author read from his book at Hay today, incredibly powerful, such an interesting, emotionally intelligent person, made me less scared and more excited to read. He opened with the section shouting "Oi, dickhead" which surprised the interviewer somewhat whilst taking her drink of water!

TrishB Sounds fab 👍🏻enjoy 1y
Soubhiville 😂 have a great time! 1y
Aimeesue 🤣🤣🤣 1y
squirrelbrain Funny! 🤣 1y
61 likes5 comments
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jhod
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Heard the author read from his book at Hay today, incredibly powerful, such an interesting, emotionally intelligent person, made me less scared and more excited to read. He opened with the section shouting "Oi, dickhead" which surprised the interviewer somewhat whilst taking her drink of water!

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rachaich
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Pickpick

Gosh, a somewhat scary dive into the mind of an emotionally disturbed young man, sometimes reminiscing, sometimes in the present.
Beautifully written and interesting font but traumatic and worrying to read.

Cathythoughts Sounds like a difficult read ♥️ 2y
24 likes1 comment
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rachaich
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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I loved Lanny so much I couldn't resist buying this, even though it's hardback.

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ashw21
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Mehso-so

I am a huge fan of his books especially Lanny, which is a dear favourite of mine.. the writing is spectacular .. I always enjoy his lyrical and structurally complex style! Shy is a troubled , misunderstood teenager and we get in his head to experience all his internal thoughts.. I liked it ..just didn‘t love it like I expected but it is such a short book which I will reread and hope to love it more!

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Twocougs
Shy: A Novel | Max Porter
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Pickpick

A disturbed, “lost boy” and one evening break down. Max Potter‘s writing is always inventive and powerful.