Floating by Robin Troy

I didn’t have high expectations for this book when I picked it up. I wasn’t sure what kind of novel would win the MTV Book Award. I had a feeling it might be something “hip” or cool. Probably too cool for me to understand or appreciate.

Floating didn’t do much for me. The story takes place in a Southwestern ranch town- I wondered what a Harvard gal from the Midwest would know about horses and ranches and tumbleweed. As it turns out, maybe not much. I found that her descriptions were vague and stereotypical. I wasn’t sure if she had been to a ranch or if she’d only read about them.

The plot and the characters themselves were fine. Not overly bland or overly interesting. I moved through the book slowly; not due to complicated language or plot twists, but due to disinterest. The two most interesting characters in the book are a recently imprisoned man and his 8 year old son. They are, at best, marginal characters. That was unfortunate. I would have liked to have explored their stories in more depth.

Eh. Read it if you want. If not, you’re probably not missing much.