Flip

As usual, when I expect a book to have a certain type of feeling, or be a quick, shallow read, I was again surprised by this book, Flip, by Martyn Bedford.  I know that was an incredibly poorly constructed sentence, but I'm tired - I'll try to do better about that in the rest of this review.  Anyways, about the book ... :D

Flip is this pretty interesting book (certainly an interesting spin on a rather overdone, cliche topic).  Alex Gray is your typical geek - he reads lots, plays chess and the clarinet, and is just an overall wimp.  Phillip "Flip" Garamond is his polar opposite - a gorgeous playboy (or at least, as much of a playboy as you can be as a fourteen-year-old), athlete, complete with not one, but two beautiful girlfriends.  So what happens when a hit-and-run leaves Alex in PVS and his soul catapulting into his psyche's "twin", Flip, and vice-versa?

What really sets this apart from the rest is the lovely believability of all of the characters - Alex is incredibly empathetic, and just like in real life, there are no definite "bad guys" - it's obvious that everyone wants what's best for those they love.  The only problem I have with it is the ending: it's incredibly brief, and really should have been developed more.  That could be forgiven (lots of authors/books fall prey to this trap in writing) if even Alex's character changed so much in the last three or four pages - he loses his empathy and becomes almost cold towards those who suffer because of him.  In general, though, it's a really fascinating read and well-worth the three or four hours it'll take to finish.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

3.5/5