I wanted to like Reif Larsen so badly. I was captivated by the look of his first book, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, by its maps and illustrations, but alas I could not finish it. And visually, Larsen’s website is a dream. Really go check it out. So with the above evidence in hand, I had to give Larsen another go with I Am Radar.
Oh how I wanted to like it. I really gave it the old college try. But for me it was another DNF.
Why? I don’t really know. I should have liked I Am Radar. Dense, multi-layered tale of the confluence of art, war and radio? Yes, that sounds like my thing. Travel all around the world, encountering new cultures and conflict with a smattering of physics? Thank you, I’ll take it. So why didn’t I Am Radar work for me?
Maybe it tread too close to fantasy with its magic realism. My suspension of disbelief is not great, and often magic realism doesn’t work for me.
Maybe it was the slow, plodding way in which it was told.
Maybe it was because i didn’t buy into the relationship between Radar’s parents.
Maybe it was because I gave up too soon. I don’t know.
Who would like this book? In spite of my inability to finish I Am Radar, I really do think that it will appeal a certain set of people out there. Not only that I believe that those who like it will love it. Let me know if you liked it and wrote a review and I will include you here.
I received a copy of this book for review consideration from the publisher.
52 books or bust 
I have TS Spivet in the 746, bought solely because it looked so damn lovely! His website is fab, thanks for pointing it out!
I bought Spivet for the same reason. And I love maps.
My feelings about T. S. Spivet were similar to yours – Radar’s blurb is quite seductive but it’s so very long that I’ve been dithering about starting it. I’m grateful to you for making up my mind for me!
It is very very long and seems to go no where.
That’s all I need to know. Thank you!
I wanted to like this one so much, too…so much that I read the whole thing. Mistake. I’m not sure how far you got, but Radar’s story is dropped for several other storylines throughout, which felt completely unnecessary and made the book far too long. I think you made the wise choice 😉
I gave up when I saw Radar fading into the background. But when I think about it, none of it was really about him, more about the parents, but not about their relationship. I had such high hopes.
I’m with you on Spivet – all that glitters was not gold for me. -Tania
This sound like it could be a better fit for me, because I’ll read pretty much anything magical realism! It’s possible the pacing or the character relationships would still bother me, but I’d enjoy giving this one a try 🙂
Give it a try. I wanted to like and it just didn’t work. I would love to hear the opinion of some one who liked it.
I thought that this was a novel told from MASH’s Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly’s perspective and I thought it could be brilliant. Imagine my disappointment when I actually read the blurb. – Kirt
I’ve been trying to decide if I wanted to read this and was originally no for a long time but had recently settled on yes. But now that I’ve read your review and the comments here, and now that I’ve seen it’s over 600 pages long, I’m back to no. If I’m not completely sold on it to start, I know the length and magical realism will throw me off.
Start it and see what you think. And then let me know. I would love to hear from someone who loves it.
Good to know. I will skip it. thanks for saving me some aggravation.