“I wonder if it’s possible to go so far that I’ll stop being afraid of us not ever coming back,” whispers protagonist Axi Moore, as her partner-in-crime Robinson sleeps soundly next to her. In the new novel “First Love,” author James Patterson veers away from his typical genre of crime fiction and partners with ghostwriter Emily Raymond to create a book about first love and loss. Moore and Robinson both find themselves stuck in anti-climactic Klamath Falls, Ore. when they decide to ignore all responsibilities and take the road trip of a lifetime. Yet the farther they get from the town, the harder it is to ignore the problems they wished to deny in the first place.
Patterson and Raymond worked together on the novel in an homage to Patterson’s own first love. The dedication page tells a sad tale of a happy couple whose joy is abruptly ripped away by cancer. Though he himself never took the journey Moore and Robinson embark on, the density of feelings about one’s first love are felt through the words on each page. Sadly, this story, with such a rich basis in truth, is easy forgettable among all other books of the same genre. While authors like Nicholas Sparks seem to thrive on this sort of depressing love story, Patterson falls short of fully developing characters one can sympathize with.
Moore is the typical “good girl” stereotype, even going by the acronym “GG,” while Robinson is her out-of-control best friend with a blurry past. As the readers later find out, the two met in a cancer ward as teens, where they became inseparable. Patterson does a mediocre job of fleshing out the characters, in addition to the fact that their tropes are so common. Moore is relatively well put together despite having an alcoholic father, absent mother and deceased sister, using her schoolwork as an outlet for the problems in her life. Robinson is every other teen heartthrob you have ever read about, with his messy hair, hipster music and refusal to talk about his past. While the character does manage some development over the course of “First Love,” there seems to be too little, too late. He’s already been placed on the shelf with every other forgettable romance figure in young adult literature.
Patterson is a fantastic writer, there is no denying that, but in series such as “Women’s Murder Club” or “Alex Cross” there is much more vivacity is every line. In these series, the characters feel as if they are real through their imperfections, their attitudes and their humanity. The characters of Moore and Robinson have their flaws, but Patterson gives them the characteristics always attributed to characters in the young-adult section. Young Robinson is mysterious to a fault, but Moore perceives it as depth in his character; she should see him for the pathological liar he is. In contrast, Moore’s good-girl capacity is so easily shed it is hard to believe it was there at all. Their first mode of transport is a stolen motorcycle, and after some half-hearted protests, she climbs on the back.
“First Love” is an easy summer read, despite the fact it came out in January. With limited character development and a forgettable plot, Patterson fails to live up to the expectations of readers of his previous work. It is commendable that he wishes to portray a relatable story of his life, but it seems that he should stay relegated in the genres of his forte. For those readers with minimal time on their hands, “First Love” is a quick read to consider; those readers searching for a novel with more depth should look elsewhere.
