Described as a coming-of-age/historical/literary fiction book, Playworld is a chunky book. Clocking in at over 500 pages, it’s a book that demands attention, and in return, one would hope to have an engaging, pleasurable reading experience. 

 

Unfortunately, this book was anything but pleasurable. While there are vignettes sprinkled throughout that I enjoyed, after finishing, there are just too many things that make this a hard book for me to recommend. 

 

At it’s best, this novel is atmospheric and the writing is great. I highlighted a ton of passages and have caught myself reflecting on pieces of the story. The characters are memorable, and I have no doubt that this is a book I’ll be able to remember next December when I begin reflecting back on my reading year. Poor Griffin…I’d love to know what happened to him as he grew up and how he came to terms with everything that happened in this one year span of the book! 

Another aspect I loved was how Ross made New York City SHINE! It made me want to travel these streets like Griffin did in the early 1980s. I can’t fathom sending my kid on a subway or train or taxi without me, but I think New Yorkers are built different. If anything, this book is a love letter to the city and she basks in the praise! 

 

What didn’t work for me was the predatory behavior of the adults. Naomi is a family friend who is 36 years old, a wife, and mother to two girls. She is obsessed with Griffin who is 14 YEARS OLD! in this book. Their relationship doesn’t start out as sexual, but it is wildly inappropriate and I couldn’t understand what the purpose was. In addition to Naomi, Griffin’s wrestling coach is sexually abusive to his players, and again, it was just too much. (I literally read this entire book, against my better judgment to DNF, in hopes that the inclusions of these two plot points would be cleared up for me. They weren’t.) 

 

Since finishing, I’ve concluded that life in NYC in the 80s was something very different than we’re used to now. This is pre-helicopter parenting - where children roamed much more freely than kids do now. Regardless, Ross took that too far for me when the kids became neglected by every adult in their lives - and not just neglected - but flat-out preyed upon and ignored. The parents were so self-absorbed that eventually started hate reading so I could get it finished.