Review: So Shelly by Ty Roth

So Shelly
Ty Roth
Hardcover, 304 pages
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
February 8th 2011
Amazon | GR | TBD

Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.

After stealing Shelly’s ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly’s body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last “so Shelly” romantic quest. At least that’s what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly’s and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.

Review:
When I first saw the cover for So Shelly, I knew I wanted to read it even without knowing anything about it. Yes, I’m that superficial when it comes to gorgeous book covers. Sue me.

It wasn’t until I stumbled upon an interview with author Ty Roth on Teens Read and Write that I actually took the time to read what the novel was about and realize the connection to literary legends, Percy and Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Keats.

You can’t deny that a book like So Shelly leaves a lasting impression, but as I try to piece together why, I’m find myself unable to pinpoint a single answer. Resisting the urge to spew metaphorical bullshit, I will say that the morbid much concept of bringing historical figures into modern day contemporary fiction was not only genius but absolutely mesmerizing.

Like all mortals, John Keats is dying, and like most, because he believes his time will end sooner rather than later, he is desperate to leave a lasting impression. So begins his retelling of tales that his friend Shelly shared with him before her own untimely death. And as her life often did, many of her stories revolve around her childhood friend, the unrequited love of her life, George Gordon Byron.

Powered by humorous musings and homogeneous ties to history, romanticism, and death, I thought the book started off much stronger than it ended. While reading, I frequently noted many quotes and passages I simply adored. Though I did reach a point where I noticed my interest wavering a bit, at about the middle, and it never really picked back up. I can’t help but blame Gordon, at least partly.

Self conscious as he was about his clubfoot, Gordon did everything possible to prove he was just was worthy as normal boys. He easily excelled in anything he tried, much to the dismay of his friends and family. What others struggled to master, Gordon naturally shined at. 

What I found myself most astonished to realize was that Gordon really is the type of flawed character you can’t help but initially succumb to because of his charms only to feel completely repelled by once to get to know him better. Yet, even when his more untoward side was revealed, you realize his disposition to be self-centered is not malicious, it is simply who he is, and somehow he manages to make that quality enviable while simultaneously causing you to marvel at the pureness to his simple philosophies.

Shelly was a much more spirited character. The girl you secretly admire because she doesn’t care to follow social norms. Marching to her own beat, Shelly was an idealist, a hopeless romantic, and an independent thinker. She impressed upon me that the world could do a lot worse than produce more of her kind. And because I never got the sense from her that she’d want to chose death over life for any reason, her end surprised and saddened me.

John, though very intelligent, didn’t really inspire much thought on his character. I wouldn’t say he lacked motivation to do anything other than to tell another person’s story, but absent was the conviction needed to make him remarkable.

Though the Afterward by Roth warns that you should not read So Shelly as a historical accurate account of the lives of the Shelleys, Byron and Keats, you can’t help but notice the parallels, and I found it all quite enchanting. Though So Shelly is marketed as a YA novel, I’d have to say that I’d only recommend it to more mature audiences because of the frequent references to sexual situations and crude language.

So Shelly was more than a haunting, entrancing tale of love and loss. It was a quiet yet thought provoking exploration of self; a novel I will undoubtedly share with many to offer a different kind of reflection on life and living.

I’m really looking forward to reading more by debut author Ty Roth.

Challenge(s): 111 in ‘11 Challenge, Debut Author Challenge

Reviewed for Book It Forward ARC Tours

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Posted at 6:00 am  •  Labels: 2011, 4 stars, ARC, Book it Forward, Book Review, contemporary fiction, DAC, debut, review copy, YA