But I hated the footnotes.
It took me a while to realize where this story was taking place - to help you out, it's on a stunning island off the coast of India, the Maldives. The story follows the ramitants of three boys that shoulder more than their share of drunken fathers, French lessons, and an unparalleled love for cinema. This is a classic coming-of-age story where the three young boys are constantly jolted into reality. The dialogue and characters and believable and complex. The climax appears a third of the way into the story, following heavy foreshadowing. The ending falls a little flat in my eyes, drifting off as the characters drift apart.
In an extremely unique stylistic choice, Ruthnum inputs small summaries of characters' futures. The only insert that works for me is on page 128, where the Coca-Cola swigging auntie has her death described. A;though the revelations are (mostly) relevant and interesting, the academic-style writing in the footnotes detracts from the above story.
Don't read this, spoiler alert! - I was shocked to discover that Cinema Rex won the Journey Prize. Based on the short-list, the jury clearly favoured more experimental pieces. Try not to let this knowledge influence your opinion of the story (and don't say I didn't warn you).