Thrusday, Jan. 8, 2026--San Antonio
Playworld by Adam Ross was named a best book of 2025 by The New Yorker and a notable book by the New York Times and Washington Post. I agree with the judgement of the latter two. The book is a bit too long with too much detail and only rare instances that are particularly interesting. But this coming-of-age novel does have some rare instances of "meat" to keep the reader involved and and to make the story unique. Griffin, the central character, is a 14-year-old boy whose family lives in Manhattan. The father has made a passable living mainly doing jingles and commercials. The boy, however, has been starring as the central character in a super hero TV series for children for several years. He has done this at his father's insistence to help "pay his way" in life. Supposedly the cost of his private school is paid from his money. There is a question of whether the rest of his money is all being saved for paying for college for him or whether it may also be helping support the family's lifestyle. The story covers a critical period when the boy, even after having been cast in a feature film by a universally respected writer/director, is questioning whether he wants to continue being an actor, has as his main interest in life a desire to participate in his school's wrestling program, and is feeling like a misfit when it comes to establishing a relationship with a female. He wants a girl his age to become his girlfriend, but she is more interested in a senior who treats her poorly. In the meantime, he finds himself developing an inappropriate relationship with a married woman who is a friend of the family. His family life also becomes unsteady. His father has left town to play a major role in touring tryouts for a new musical that might be his big break in life. His mother has eventually left the apartment because of becoming aware that the father is having an affair with one of the leading ladies in the musical. And his brother who has always been his roommate and who he loves, has also moved out of the apartment and is becoming distant because of both what's happening with their parents and his frustration with Griffin whose memory has blocked what really happened when their apartment burned many years ago. I gave the book 3 1/2 stars out of 5.
