When I began Arson, I had no expectations. I knew nothing about Vega's writing style or his characterization. All I knew is that the novel sounded mildly interesting. From the first page, I was drawn into this novel. Vega's writing was short and sweet and very to the point. As a reader, I appreciated this. I quickly felt the pain that Arson was going through. I understood his situation and self-loathing.However, after a few chapters, it quickly became apparent that Arson was not going to be a novel for me. To be honest, after reading only four chapters, I put this novel down. Chapter Four was a very odd chapter for me since all it contained was talk of masturbation and violence from his Grandmother for possibly doing this act. Normally, this would not be a reason for me to put down a novel. I have no qualms with authors talking about sexual situations. However, in a way, this chapter was my final straw. So after 40 pages of very little character development and almost no plot, I decided to put this book aside.Flash forward a few days. Arson begins to become talked about around the blogs. After speaking with a few reviewers and reading a few reviews, I begin to realize that I was not the only one in my situation. I was reassured by a few reviewers that things will get better... I would just have to stick with it.Flash forward a week or so... I decided to pick up Arson again. I began the novel once more with an open mind. I hoped that after reading a few chapters, things would take a turn for the better. Unfortunately, for me, they did not. I am not one to usually give up on a novel. However, I just had to with Arson.I gave the novel a little over 100 pages to captivate my attention. But sadly, it did not happen. I could not relate to any of the characters. I had the hardest time trying to understand their motivation. And sadly, there was very little plot to speak of. It is possible that one day I will pick this novel up again, and completely change my opinion. But at this moment, Arson is a Did Not Finish for me.
