"The Map That Leads to You" by Joseph Monninger
"The Map That Leads to You" - Where do I start? In total honesty, I couldn't finish this book so... I DNF'ed. And I wasn't going to leave a review for the very fact that I didn't finish reading it, because I like to give every book a fair shake only after seeing it all the way through. But I took notes and what better place is there to share them?
This story begins with Heather and two of her best friends, Amy and Constance, who have just graduated from college and are traveling through Europe before they "start their lives."
Chapter One, they are on a train to Amsterdam where Heather meets Jack. Jack is the stereotypical doesn't-care-about-anything, lives-in-the-moment, wants-to-be-free-from-the-world's-restraints- type. In the first conversation he has with Heather, he's questioning her choice to read Hemingway as she travels through the continent. Because it's so obvious that someone would read Hemingway in Europe; "Haha of course you do."
So, out of the box, Jack is condescending and rude. And this is how he is throughout the entire novel.
Heather, who is less rude, but also extremely pretentious, is the type who doesn't read Hemingway for all the reasons everyone else reads Hemingway. She reads Hemingway because she's different, and trying entirely too hard to be mysterious and complicated. Yet, she plays the tete-a-tete with Jack because he's dreamy.
I made it about 75% through this book, and could not find even one redeeming quality in either of these characters. There was ZERO chemistry, ZERO longing, and it was the most unrealistic romance I think I've ever tried to read. These two people meet, and are obviously attracted to each other, but are on total opposite ends of the philosophical spectrum. They don't agree on anything, they just have semi-cute banter. (note: just because you are physically attracted to another human, does not make them your soulmate.)
Jack and Heather spend TWO full days together and she's wigging out because of an argument they had that resulted in Heather leaving Jack for the next port. And to be completely honest, I would have rather her cut her losses then and there. It's not like they even knew each other. But, of course, Jack shows up at the next destination because his friend Raefe is now involved with Constance, and Constance told them where they would be. Jack and Heather reunite and it's "Jack. My Jack." As though a piece of herself has made its way back to her?? I didn't get it. And then this, on repeat.
I was already weary when I first started reading this book because of the inner monologuing. That's fine when there's a point being made, but inner monologues that are constant and pointless grate on my nerves. Additionally, the descriptors in this novel are killer. As in, they actually kill the story. She describes an elevator more than a kiss that occurred within said elevator. And yes, a kiss in an elevator.
Listen, I love a good girl-meets-boy trope - a good cliche. But this book is stacked with cliches. It's one novel that has everything you've already read, but less, because the characters are one-dimensional and, for lack of a better term, dumb. What adult women steal away from each other, the only people they know, to gallivant across foreign countries with random, questionable men they do not know? What self-respecting woman allows a man she just met to talk to her the way Heather let Jack talk to her, and allow him to keep running back into her? And why is it so impossible to think that someone can desire freedom and love and purity, while also creating a financially stable future for themselves? WHY does someone have to be either a modern-era reject or a lover of the classics?
There is no depth to these characters, and because I disliked them so much, I really stopped paying attention to the actual story, which by my account was also lacking.
Jack's journal seems to be the thing that draws the reader in pretty early on in the story, and I was fully expecting it to be a greater part of the story, but we barely hear about it. Maybe that changes toward the end. I wouldn't know. I didn't make it that far.
We really don't hear a lot about the places they're traveling to, either. There's maybe one or two notes for a specific site that could have been found from a quick Google search. I didn't learn anything new, but maybe that wasn't a totally fair expectation.
I read the reviews for "The Map that Leads to You" on Goodreads mid-way through reading it, and the ones I read are fairly similar in their dislike for the book. There has to be people who enjoyed it, though. I wonder where they are? And why do they like it? I'm genuinely curious to know. What satisfied them about this book? If you are one of those people who enjoyed "The Map that Leads to You" and you've made it through this review, please let me know.
aft: I watched the movie when I decided I wasn't going to continue reading the book. It wasn't great, but it saved time and gave me an ending. If you're debating on whether or not to read the book before watching the movie, you might be better off just going with the movie this time. Although, I won't discourage genuine interest in the book. Everyone has their own tastes, so please find out whether or not you like it for yourself.