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Title: 256 pages of pointless filth
Review: Johnny Rechy whines in his preface that the novel's "careful structure" has been ignored, with too much attention being paid to the "blatant sexuality." He carefully outlines his use of symbolism and character development--an implied acknowledgedment that his techniques do not speak for themselves in the book. Instead of skillful literary technique, he relies on one explicit homosexual act after another to string the book together. The main character, Johnny Rio, is obsessed with these perverse encounters throughout the novel; his character remains static, flat, and frankly, boring. Graphic content aside, _Numbers_ fails to engage the reader by settling for underdeveloped plot, characters, and conflict.
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