Had heard good things about Camden's other works, and I do find the summer before going to uni a very formative ex[erience, and one which I enjoy reading about, but I just couldn't engage with this as much as I would've liked.

Read Dec 18

So, it’s obvious by now that I can take a while to review books. Usually I can remember major plot points, but I couldn’t remember much about this one. You have Marcie who has just finished university and isn’t sure what to do especially as she’s dealing with her scatter-brained single dad. You also have Thor, the human/bear hybrid that is Marcie’s imaginary friend who is due to be ‘deleted’ soon as a result of being forgotten. At least until he decides to be remembered and starts interfering in Marcie’s life.

Other than that, there was some stuff about a kitten and a weird moment at the beginning where Marcie hugs a female friend and is thinking about their breasts pressing together (not a typical female thought gay or otherwise) but nothing more is ever said about it or Marcie’s sexuality.

Overall just a very odd book and I wasn't sure what to make of it. The premise is very inventive though so I will give Steven credit for that.

Thank you for providing a copy of this book for review however I was unable to open the file for this document unfortunately! Apologies.

I ended up DNF'ing this one. I just couldn't get into it 90 pages in. I liked the Marcie character but her storyline wasn't gripping enough and making me want to pick up the book. I think the main empathise was on Thor's story as it was being explained but I just didn't get it/want to know.

One good thing was, Marcie's story transported me back in time to my own exams, that part felt very realistic. I think I'll stick to the author's spoken word rather than books.

1 star because Netgalley makes me star it. I didn't give a star rating on Goodeads.

I really enjoyed this book and the characters, I also love the fact that you're dancing between whether she has an imaginary friend or has a mental illness. The story was nice to follow and interesting, however at times, I was a little bit bored.

An absolutely fantastic exploration of the complexities of a teenage girl making drastic life choices. Camden truly captures how much pressure is laid on 18 year olds nowadays to decide their life. I found the 2nd person narration fascinating, and felt it really added a powerful dynamic between Thor and Marcie. Overall a brilliant read that I could not put down.

Nobody Real is the story of Marcie, a teenager on the edge of adulthood, and her imaginary friend Thor, who Marcie sent away many years ago. Thor is facing the ‘fade’, when he can no longer exist to Marcie. Macie is finishing her last of her exams when Thor reappears in her life, bringing familiarity and chaos.
This is a really imaginative book that deals with common issues of identity, family and friendship. The narration alternates between Marcie and Thor and uses second person where they refer to each other rather than the reader. There is also script-style dialogue between Thor and his counsellor. At first I struggled a little with this narrative style, but once I got used it, it was really effective.
The description of Thor’s world was really interesting, especially his fellow imaginary friends with very human qualities.
I really liked the way Marcie’s relationships were portrayed; with her dad, her aunt, her best friend from school, and of course, Thor. Marcie is not exciting or very special, but a likeable and relatable character. She is at a troubled time in her life and I liked the exploration of how she is helped by her imaginary friend. I found the ending quite unexpected but satisfying.

Nobody Real is a gritty reboot of the imaginary friend, perfectly pitched at teens and young adults.

It is the emotion that is raw and disturbing here, rather than the actions: Steve Camden has perfectly captured the disastrous, swirlingly chaotic importance of the emotional transition from child to adult in a way that is compellingly real. If you needed tissues for Bing Bong (Inside Out) then you’re going to need shares in Kleenex for this one!

I love the imagination and creativity that brought this unique plot and characters alive, and somehow made them so plausible that a boy with bear paws felt as natural a best friend as any other. I also loved the balance of anger and control; mischief and responsibility; joy and despair; grasping to hold on to loved ones and thrusting them viciously away. Marcie and Thor teeter between worlds and states as they try to find a base for themselves and each other.

I did occasionally become confused by whose viewpoint we were inhabiting, despite the use of font and style to distinguish, as it is quite unusual to read a book written in the second person as the characters address each other rather than the ‘audience’. The ‘you’ and ‘your’ combined with character pov shifts and flashbacks to muddy the plot waters, but this actually worked just fine for a story about characters who are muddling their way through events as best they can, and still trying to sort their pasts, presents and futures into something resembling a life.

I confess I guessed completely wrong about the genesis of some of the side characters and was surprised by the denoument; I was completely led down the red herring path the author laid out, which rarely happens and was therefore a pleasing twist. That is despite the fact that the ending provided the only possible satisfying conclusion to the character arcs (I had been wondering how the author was going to write himself out of the corner I thought he was in, but it turns out he just needed to walk through the door that was there all along!).

Overall this was a fascinating and moving exploration of the transition from teen to young adult, whilst dealing with trauma, love, loss and the need to find a path of one’s own.




Bliss
noun
1. Supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment: the feeling of being left alone in a room full of books on a rainy day with a good coffee and no adults giving you grief.
– Dictionary of Marcie, Oxford Press

– Steve Camden, Nobody Real

Marcie and Thor are a team or so it seems to Marcie. The trouble is, she's real and Thor isn't. Abandoned by her mum and pulling away from her dad who grows distant, Marcie finds herself seeking friendship and comfort and that comes from her old imaginary though up friend Thor, a boy with bear arms, arms of comfort and warmth it seems.



I am unsure whether Marcie is suffering with her own mental health alike her dad whom seems depressed throughout the novel. Marcie does talk with others around her but seems to never allow herself to get close to anyone which seems likely to the factor of her mother not being in her life now.



This is a book anyone can relate to as I'm sure we all yearn at some point to be a carefree child again needing to be taken care of and not have to face all life's responsibilities thrust our way.



Many thanks to the publishers for her allowing me to review this book for them!