Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

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Synopsis 

Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.

But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside?

Writing Style

Although I own several of King’s books, this is the first one that I have read. I am so thankful that I enjoyed this book because now I can feel better about buying her books in advance. I think King’s writing is a style that everyone can easily follow. The narration was first POV, which I feel is the easiest POV to execute. However, if the internal dialogue is dry, this can mess up the entire book. Thankfully, the internal dialogue was witty and had plenty of substance and depth to it. 

Characters

Lucky, the main character, was refreshing. I’m glad King didn’t just show us the angle of Lucky that was being bullied by Nader. We didn’t just see Lucky as a victim. His character was well developed and King showed us so many of his traits. 

When I first came across the chapter of Lucky visiting his grandpa during his dreams, I thought it would be a nuisance that was distracting me from the real story. But it was well structured and King wove it into the story perfectly. It was such a significant piece to the story. 

Dislikes

One thing I disliked was the fact that when Lucky woke up from his visits with his grandpa, he would be holding actual tangible things that he used in his dreams. I wish that part would’ve been explained or acknowledged at least. 

I’m also kinda disappointed that we didn't get more background info on Nader. Every bully has a story and I understand this book wasn’t specifically about Nader, but it would’ve been nice to have a following between him and Lucky or some type of realization on his circumstance or upbringing.