Quote:
Originally Posted by CRussel
Now I don't agree at all. I think that appreciation of the young for the elders is very much a part of so many cultures that it's completely believable. Look at First Nations. Look at American Natives. Look at Alaskan Natives. Look at most Asian cultures. Look at Australian Aboriginal. All have both a respect of and an appreciation for their elders because of the knowledge the elders have. We perhaps see it less in northern European cultures and North American, but even here there are plenty of examples so I don't find it at all out of line or unbelievable.
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But the attitudes of indigenous peoples toward their elders aren't relevant to a story set in a small town in the U.S.
Here, it's supposed to be a 12-year-old who's so overwhelmingly appreciative of his elders that he basically hangs out with them all summer, absorbing their stories. I just don't buy it, not at that age. And not with people outside his family, either.
The old-people stories are a big part of why the book doesn't work for me as a novel, particularly as a novel supposedly about Doug's summer. When I think of my childhood summers, I think of beaches, barbecues, carnivals and amusement parks. I think of picking blueberries and getting poison ivy. I think of riding my bike with my friends. I don't think of hanging out with my grandparents.