Wednesday, July 6, 2011

OPEN WOUNDS by Joe Lunievicz

(click to enlarge)

I just finished reading Open Wounds the other day. I've been aching to talk about it ever since, but with the holiday and other blogging things scheduled, I had to bite my tongue and wait. Before I get to my thoughts let me give you the jacket copy:

Cid Wymann, a scrappy kid fighting to survive a harsh upbringing in Queens, NY, is a almost a prisoner in his own home. His only escape is sneaking to Times Square to see Errol Flynn movies full of swordplay and duels. He s determined to become a great fencer, but after his family disintegrates, Cid spends five years at an orphanage until his injured war-veteran cousin Lefty arrives from England to claim him. Lefty teaches Cid about acting and stage combat, especially fencing, and introduces him to Nikolai Varvarinski, a brilliant drunken Russian fencing master who trains Cid. By 16, Cid learns to channel his aggression through the harsh discipline of the blade, eventually taking on enemies old and new as he perfects his skills. Evocative of The Book Thief with a dash of Gangs of New York, Open Wounds is the page-turning story of a lost boy's quest to become a man.

So, if that doesn't get you excited ...

Anyway, I found out about Joe and Open Wounds when I interviewed Andrew Smith a few months ago. I asked him something like "who is the best writer you've discovered in just the past year?" He answered, without hesitation, Joe Lunievicz. Andrew said:

Joe Lunievicz. Seriously. Joe contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in reading his forthcoming debut, Open Wounds. I totally love that book. It’s heroic, moving, and exciting. I can’t wait to see it in print.

Now that time has come (Open Wounds was released on May 25th) and I have to say I couldn't agree more. If you know me well, you know that I have a sort of long-standing inside joke that I sometimes leave in blog comments, for no one's amusement but my own. If one of my lovely female friends reviews a book that sounds a little too girly for me, I'll ask in the comments whether it has any sword fights. I'm sure no one gets it, or they just think I'm being a dick, but the point I'm trying to make is: I'm a man, I love reading great books full of beautiful writing, but I also need a little action from time to time (when I'm reading, sheesh).

It's a stupid joke, I know, but I'm a stupid guy, and the point is that I care about YA books that will appeal to boys, young men, and grown men who are still teenagers, mentally and emotionally. Anyway, before I go on about myself for any longer, my point is that this book is just that.

Yes, I realize the obvious thing is that much of the plot is based around fencing, which obviously means the book is FULL of sword fights. And that's great, it certainly appealed to me when I first heard about the book, because even though I use the comment as a joke/metaphor for what I care about in books, I DO actually love swords, and I even was in the fencing club for two years in high school. I know, nerd alert, but I'm not ashamed.

Yet, after reading Open Wounds, I discovered that it is so much more than a great manly action book full of duels, honor, and great sword fights. It is a devastatingly human tale of suffering, loss, doubt, pain, fear, and ultimately: redemption.

I could go on for a long time about what makes this book so incredible, but this is only a blog post, so I'll just point out the two biggest things for me.

First was the setting. This is a historical YA novel, that takes place in NYC (specifically Queens, in the 1930s, and then Manhattan, in the 1940s) and the way that Joe portrayed this place absolutely made it come alive. I've read some articles about how much work Joe did researching the little things (like the New York Subway system as it existed at the time), and it probably helps that Joe lives in NYC, but even that doesn't explain the vibrancy with which he breathes life into this setting. You'll notice what I mean immediately if you decide to read this book.

The seconds was the characters. There are several beautifully flawed characters in this novel, and what makes them great is that not a single one of them is perfect. They all make mistakes and they all pay for them, but there is one character in particular whose story is so heart-rendingly poignant that it will leave you gasping. I'm not going to go into who or why, because to do so would be to ruin it for you all, but I will say that there was something so realistic, so authentic and so disturbingly believable about this character that I don't know if I've ever read a more compelling portrayal of a human being.

And now we come to the point where I've gone on for far too long. Before I let you go, though, let me point you to a few excellent resources regarding Joe and his debut novel:

Joe's blog section of his website, where he talks about and shows photos of the book production/manufacturing process (I wanted to discuss the amazing design of this book and its cover, but I ran out of room).

Joe's website, with a few quotes of what people are saying about Open Wounds.

A guest post by Joe, for Cheryl Rainfield, author of Scars, where he talks a bit about Open Wounds and great first lines.

Open Wounds Facebook Fan Page.

And here are some places you can get Open Wounds:

IndieBound
GoodReads
Powells
Amazon

29 comments:

  1. I love how your reviews touch upon your own personality traits. I've always said that the best reviews do this. Nice one. :o)

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  2. Sounds like a really neat story- I've always wanted to learn how to weild a sword. Throw knives. And spin num chucks. SO, in the spirit of your comments- is there any kissing in this book?

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  3. Yes! I knew I could count on you to go there Katie, and yes, there is some kissing.

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  4. There's quite a build-up to the kissing part, too. This is one of those books that I wouldn't hesitate to "Gumby" into, if that superpower existed. Love the fight scenes, the training routines up on the roof. Just such a great freakin' book.

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  5. Who doesn't love swords?? I'm a sucker for them too. Sounds like a great story! ANd I love that you have high criteria for boy books. There should be some. I need to hire you to read the boy book I just finished to make sure it's up to par.

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  6. @PK I don't have time to beta read ANYTHING right now, but I could always do your query - er, I mean CRITIQUE your query, if you have one for it. Feel free to email me any time.

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  7. You had me at swords.

    Seriously - I'm the same way, and while a lot of fantasy is written without knowledge of swordplay, it sounds like this guy knows his stuff, and he's impressed someone who also knows about fencing, and on top of it you got great character and setting.

    So yeah, I'm sold.

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  8. Dude. Steve. Go look at some of those links about Joe. He's like a fencing Master. Well, okay, maybe not quite, but he does know his stuff.

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  9. Historic fiction set in Queens? With swords?Yes, please! I'll be going to get this book very soon indeed~ thanks for the great review. By the way, I had a pirate-themed b-day for my 16-year-old (it could have gone either way, but she loved it), and we still have foam swords around the house. After reading this review, I'm in the mood for a fight.

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  10. This sounds like a great read! Yep, characters and setting. Two biggies. Sounds like he nailed them.

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  11. This book sounds great, but equally great in my opinion was the review. What a well written piece. Thank you.

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  12. Yay!!!!! Sword-fighting and lots of character development and above all a book for boys of all ages. We need books boys will enjoy - it's awful whenever I read all these statistics that say boys are way behind in the reading stakes because of the lack of books they'd want to read! Thanks for your enthusiastic and heart-felt review! Take care
    x

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  13. Great review, Matt. You can't beat kissing and swords. Kissing the sword is the ultimate.

    You were in the fencing club? No wonder you can parry and thrust so well with words.

    I love the cover for this--it is beautiful--but it did give me a wrong impression about historical setting until you explained things. I would have said, judging by the cover, that the book was set in modern times. (Perhaps this is what Manhattan in the 1930s looked like, but if so it went over my ignorant head.) So I was a bit confused when we got to Errol Flynn in Times Square. Perhaps the back copy places one firmly in the time? "In 1-30 New York, Cid... blah blah."

    Too long of a comment. Need caffeine, obviously.

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  14. Great review and this book sounds awesome!

    I knew about your sword comments and totally got them. But I hope you're not trying to say that's a guy thing. 'Cause that's how I choose a lot of books I read and movies/series I watch. If it has a sword fight, I'm totally sold. I'm such a dude sometimes.lol

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  15. Mathew, thank you for the kind and heartfelt words about my book. Your review has made my day.
    All the best,
    Joe

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  16. @ Mike - The Jacket Copy is actually on the inside flap on my edition, but otherwise yes, it does explain. But I hear you about the photo of Manhattan. I have the book right here in my hand and one building in particular looks a bit too modern. I'm going to try to get Joe to stop by later and chime in.

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  17. Great review. I have to go and add this to my GoodReads list right away. I've been looking for a good, boys action read for a while now, and I'm happy to hear that there's so much more to this one.

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  18. Hah! Fair enough. Thanks, Marsha. You're right. Swords are for everyone.

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  19. This book has now been moved to the top of my TBR list because of your review, Matt! Thanks!

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  20. Sounds like a great read. I like some action, too.

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  21. Oh wow, that sounds like a really great book. Where's my pen... and my TBR list... Oh that? That scroll reaching from ceiling to floor? There we go, TBR list... let's put this one close to the top, it sounds fantastic. Where'd my stepladder go?

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  22. Ooh, this sounds like a great book. Awesome review, Matt.

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  23. Will check out this book! alphabetalife.blogspot.com

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  24. It's a most excellent book cover art. And a story set in 1930s New York City is a great setting. The book could have been called Swords and the City.


    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  25. I've now heard so many wonderful things about this book, so it's definitely going on my list. Great review, Matt.

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  26. I LOVE the sound of this book. Excellent review. Definitely right up my alley. I'll look it up. Thanks, Matt!

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  27. I would so send several of you my copy. But no. It's signed. Thanks all. I appreciate the support, but really what I care about is spreading the word about great books. It sounds like you now have this on your radar, so my job, as they say, is done. Thanks!

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  28. Sword fights are good for me :) Thanks for the review - I'm not usually one to stray from the fantasy genre, but this sounds like a damn good read!

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  29. Thanks for stopping by my blog, following you now too! Love your review and I agree with every word. I guess I'm not a typical chick, I love blood, gore, and fights in books and movies, so I enjoyed the fights in this book. Awesome! And the characters were beyond amazing. Oh and I get the "sword fight" joke and think it's hilarious ;)

    Jamie @ Bookerella

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