Title: Connectivity
Author: Peter Rouleau
Genre: Literary
Publication Date: June 7, 2021
Review Date: Sept 2, 2021
Number of Pages: 109
My Rating: 4/5
Buy here:
Connectivity by Peter Rouleau is a Bildungsroman set in the present day. A lovely coming-of-age tale that covers surprising breadth of experience, with wonderful characters.
Book Blurb:
When Doug Faraday was a child, his life fell apart. When he was eighteen, he met Courtney Bressler, a cheerful, funny girl. He observed every significant event of her life for the next 15 years. And she never knew that he existed.
Book Review:
Connectivity by Peter Rouleau is a Bildungsroman of sorts, set in the present day spanning 2003 to 2018.
A lovely coming-of-age tale that covers surprising breadth of experience, with a wonderful cast of supporting characters. I haven’t read this narrative style much in recent years, so this book was a breath of fresh air that I savored like a rare literary treat.
Rouleau has a way with words, be it describing emotion, friendships, feelings or even places. Many times I felt like I was hanging out at Bayview with Doug, our protagonist. This skill also lends itself to the raw honesty that is a hallmark of this book, a sentiment where we feel what Doug feels, while we see the world through his eyes.
In many books we sympathize, empathize or relate to characters. Here, however, we understand Doug. We see the world the way he sees it, and we get why he feels and reacts the way he does. I cannot emphasize how amazing this was to read, because not many authors can pull this off. More so, because this book was in the third person narrative.
A bildungsroman is usually a first person narrative, following the protagonist through the years. Here, Rouleau has taken the concept and make the bold choice to proceed with a third person narrative – know the rules, and then break them, I’d read somewhere. This book does it beautifully. The author made a bold choice and pulled it off.
As for the rest of the characters, they are all extremely well written, even the minor characters. I loved the natural progression of relationships and maturity that shows in conversations and thoughts over the years. Effusive praise, I know, but this book deserves it.
I have nothing negative to point out about this book, so if you’re expecting a critique, you won’t find it here. Clocking 109 pages, Connectivity seems like a quick read, but it is certainly not something you want to rush through. I, for one, am likely to revisit this book.
Recommended for:
Connectivity by Peter Rouleau is an apt read for anyone who enjoys coming-of-age novels, raw honesty, and a story that draws you in and makes you feel like you’re right there with the protagonist, watching him become the man he becomes over the years.