Is there someone for everyone? Even me?
Time passes and Generation Y has become young adults. During this social period, computers and the Internet have become household items, at least in the middle and upper classes. Online gaming has now become a subculture complete with language, social activities, and clothing. The word ‘geek’ has become more of a description of an alternative subculture than a pejorative term. Daltry and Clarke take us on a wild ride into the world of computer geeks, as they follow the hectic lives of Katie Garretty and George Lindell. Will this young woman and this man unite in a sweet romance, or will they be doomed to remain single forever? Does being a computer geek mean you can never have self-respect, or can these youngsters grow in self-confidence? Will the couple ever fight to the end of Fatal destinationthe game that dominates their young lives? backwards compatible is a romantic comedy that will entertain those who enjoy reading New Adult or Young Adult fiction.
It should be noted from the outset that this book is a comedy and much of the humor revolves around politically incorrect views. This book is full of foul language, sexual references, and prejudice against minorities. If you’re looking for a book that expands on your social and political ideology, you’d do well to go elsewhere. However, if you are looking for something to make you smile, this is your book.
In keeping with the gaming spirit of the book, the novel is divided into 15 “Levels”, reminiscent of levels in computer games in which each new stage represents a greater degree of complexity and difficulty. the plot of backwards compatible It can roughly be divided into two halves. The first half, Level 1 – 7, revolves around the question of whether Katie and George will actually get together, and the complication of a possible relationship between Katie and Jeff Browning (“Seynar”). The second half, Tier 8- Boss Tier (15), covers Katie and George’s budding romance and a search for hidden keys to win a $10,000 prize and a trip to Montreal. Each of the two halves contains an expanded description of the game, so it should be noted that this novel is specially designed for those who are interested in online gaming. If you’re not that interested, these sections might seem a bit boring. The bulk of the book, however, is general human interest and will therefore appeal to a wide range of readers. The chapters are alternately written from Katie’s point of view and then George’s. As a result, we get a look into the minds and lives of both female and male young adults. This book, then, should appeal to both male and female readers. In 356 pages backwards compatible it is medium length, however it is a bit too long for the content. Could have benefited from a minor edit.
Daltry and Clarke have created a collection of likable characters that the reader will instantly identify with. These characters will remind the reader of themselves or their friends. Both Katie and George are bright and witty and vulnerable at the same time. We empathize with their lack of confidence and hope for the best for them. Typical of the rom-com genre, even the antagonistic character, which I won’t name so as not to spoil the story, isn’t too bad: he even has endearing qualities. Katie’s character has a development arc that spans the entire novel. We follow her as she moves from a painful lack of self-confidence to a position of much more self-assurance and certainty. George’s character has two development arcs. The first arc covers the first half of the story and takes George from being a nervous young man who doesn’t believe he’ll ever get a girlfriend to a happy young man who is now dating. The second arc revolves around the question of whether George will actually have sex with Katie. Katie’s character is a bit more fleshed out than George’s. Katie’s internal monologues take us inside her mind and her experiences. George’s character also has internal monologues, but we don’t quite get the breadth of characterization. For example, we hear about George’s physical longing for sexual gratification, but there are few detailed descriptions of this physical anguish. This is not to say that George doesn’t live on the page. The reader relates to it as real.
In contrast to the new circumstances of generation Y and technological development, as the subtitle suggests, romance is the central theme of backwards compatible. This timeless theme is fully developed for the satisfaction of the reader. It’s a simple fact of life that for many of us, at least part of the solution to a lack of self-confidence is finding a partner we can love and be with. Katie and George aren’t the only characters paired up at the end of the novel. Family is a very secondary issue. The reader gets a brief look at the families of George, Katie, and Lanyon (George’s ever-present friend). We see parents who hinder their children’s style, but are loving, and a brother who is competitive, but willing to help. These two themes fit well together, as one tends to lead to the other. Of course, a family is far ahead in Katie and George’s future, and we don’t know if it will eventually become so, but the reader can wait.
The humor in the novel works quite well. There is a great deal of witty commentary and repartee, slapstick humor, and ironic events. George and Lanyon are particularly a comedy duo that is somewhat reminiscent of The Three Stooges, though of course there are only two of them. For example, while George and Lanyon are in the store, at midnight, to buy the new release of Fatal destination George tries to entice Katie on a date by giving her his copy of the game to buy. Seeing this, Lanyon comments, “I mean, if you’re going to give up a midnight release, the least she can provide is a little midnight release.” During the same incident, George comments of Katie, “her smile of hers is more that of a hungry T-Rex than innocent…”. Sometimes the plot gets a bit hyperbole. For example, there’s a three-story climbing incident that’s a bit unrealistic and certainly wouldn’t work in a less humorous, more realistic story. Likewise, few friendships would really last if a young man punched his friend in the testicles. But as noted, this is a comedy and the reader is not overly bothered by these unrealities.
From the perspective of feminism, the women in the novel are depicted as quite dynamic and progressive. Katie, despite her lack of self-confidence, can be very forceful in making her views known. She is a talented player and an aggressive fighter in Fatal destination. She is also a smart college student, an Art History major, who has managed to get into Amherst College, a prestigious and exclusively selective university. Katie’s friend Allie is the first to turn on the antagonist character, deliberately killing her in-game avatar even though the antagonist is supposed to be on the same team. However, Anna, Katie’s best friend, is more of a female stereotype. She is mainly interested in boys and clothes. However, Anna certainly gets a joke from Katie on these points. Stacey and Vicki, two hussies who knew Katie in high school, also embody the feminine stereotype of getting a man, having a baby, and starting a family. However, these two women are hardly represented in a positive light and their lifestyle is certainly not recommended.
The male characters, viewed in terms of gender studies, are insensitive New Age men. Much of the humor comes from George and Lanyon’s callous and macho dialogue about women. In fact, when it comes to women, they seem to be interested in only one thing: sex. Much of this, however, is purely a facade, an adopted persona. We see from the internal dialogue in the episodes about him that George does, in fact, have feelings and is actually quite sensitive, even concerned about his own masculinity. In the second half of the novel there is a lengthy incident in which George tries very hard to cheer up and comfort Katie, who is crying over some mistreatment she has received.
The LGBTIQ minority is not represented in the novel, and in fact, gays have quite a bit of bigoted humor. Much of this, however, stems from George and Lanyon’s insecurities about their own masculinity. However, this could have been balanced by including a positively described cameo from a gay character.
The elders are completely absent from the text, but this is not a great surprise since backwards compatible It is a young adult/new adult novel. Again, a cameo could have been included to represent this much ignored minority. It is certainly true that age can make a positive contribution to the lives of young people.
In terms of the Capitalist/Socialist debate there can be no doubt that backwards compatible lies firmly in the capitalist camp. Both George and Katie live an alternative lifestyle and are struggling with money, but are able to do so thanks to the generosity of their parents. Neither of them, nor Lanyon, work during the winter holidays. In fact, they don’t even try to find work. All three attend college thanks to the generosity of their parents. Katie, in fact, goes to a very expensive university. Also, much of the second half of the novel revolves around an attempt to win $10,000. This is clearly a capitalist motivation. However, at one point in the story, Katie makes it clear that she does not want to own many products and that money is not important to her. Also, George drives a car that is old and constantly breaks down. His parents have not given him an expensive new vehicle. Clearly this book will appeal to middle class and upper class readers.
The novel is quite solid in psychological terms. In fact, the split narrative allows Daltry and Clarke to illustrate the concept of “mind reading.” In Cognitive Behavior Therapy, this is a classic error in thinking in which an individual imagines that he can read the thoughts in another person’s head. Usually, the individual imagines that the other person is thinking negatively of him, in reality this is simply not true. (Sarah Edelman. Change the way you think: overcome stress, fight anxiety and depression and improve your life with CBT: New York, NY: Marlowe, 2007, p. 53) Both Katie and George engage in mind reading when, in fact, the other thinks of them quite positively.
backwards compatible is an endearing and humorous game that will especially entertain young adults, but also, more generally, the young at heart. The split narrative between Katie and George means the book will appeal to both male and female readers. While the novel focuses on Gen Y culture, the themes of romance and family are universal and will appeal to many. I am happy to rate this book 4 stars out of 5.
References
Caltry, Sarah and Clark, Peter. Backwards Compatible: A Geeky Love Story:__ Smashwords ed.:__ Los Gatos, CA: Smashwords, c2013.
Edelman, Sarah. Change the way you think: overcome stress, fight anxiety and depression and improve your life with CBT: New York, NY: Marlowe, 2007.
http://goo.gl/tTgTVOBackward Compatible (Kindle ed.)