Book Reviews - All

Review of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

March 11, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I know I’m a little late to the program with this one as I’ve been hearing people gush about this book for quite a while already — and rightly so! I just finished it and what an amazing story! Though The Hate U Give is marketed as a Young Adult book, I feel that this inspiring book that should be on everyone’s TBR list — regardless of age, gender or race.

The blurb is as follows:

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

The Setting

The story revolves around and is told from the point of view of Star Carter, a 16 year old black girl who is trying to live in two different worlds: one being Garden Heights, the all black crime-ridden neighborhood where she lives and grew up in — and the other being Williamson Prep, the predominately white upper middle-class high school to which her parents send her and her two brothers.

While at school, she carefully measures her behavior, limits her slang and generally portrays an easy-going attitude as she tries to fit in with her rich white schoolmates. She even has a white boyfriend, Chris, whose existence she’s not yet told her father about because she’s worried he’ll judge her for dating a boy who isn’t black.

Though it can be challenging at times, Staar is always careful to keep her two worlds separate.

Her Family

Staar has a great relationship with her family and it’s evident that she loves them. Her mother works at the hospital and is an excellent role model of a strong, no-nonsense woman. Her father, a former gang member, is now a respected member of the community having left his gang life behind and now works hard to provide for his children and be a positive role model for them. He owns the neighborhood grocery store at which Staar helps out from time to time.

But things aren’t easy for Staar and her family. She lives in a neighborhood where drive-by shootings, drug lords, gang leaders, and turf wars are a part of everyday life.

The Incident

But one night her world is shattered when she and her childhood best friend Khalil are pulled over by a policeman for a routine traffic stop. The officer pulls Khalil out of the car and, even though Khalil was unarmed and made no threatening moves toward the officer, the policeman shoots him in the back three times, killing him.

So Staar ends up being the only witness to what actually happened — and her life and the life of those around her entirely change as a result. Though traumatized and enraged, Staar is faced with a choice: stay silent or accept who she truly is in order to obtain justice for Khalil.

Now I will say that the scene of Khalil’s murder is horrifying and gut-wrenching, and regretfully, not uncommon, as many of us have seen on the news far too often in recent times. Still, that didn’t make it this part of the book any easier — or less heartbreaking — to read.

The young man’s funeral was equally heart-hurting, as we saw firsthand how destroyed his family and friends were. Instead of reading a byline in a newspaper or hearing a brief clip on the television, we are fully immersed in the situation in this story and are placed in the shoes of those who are directly involved. In this way, the story was so raw and so real that at times, I forgot that I was reading fiction.

The author did an excellent job of bringing this story to life, allowing us to empathize with everyone involved. We read about the challenging issues facing the black community in the news, but this novel brought them to life for the reader, allowing us to see the lives behind the new bylines. In this way, we can’t help but realize that things are often a lot more complicated and multilayered than portrayed by the media.

The Aftermath

Still grieving Khalil’s death, Staar is put in an extremely tough position given that she’s the only witness to the incident. Though it may seem clear to an outsider of what the best course of action is for her to take, things are not always as easy and clear-cut as they may seem — and it’s uncertain how we would react or not react if we found ourselves in a similar situation.

Following the aftermath of the shooting, I felt the author did an excellent job of portraying the fear, confusion, rage, and mistrust that Staar experiences as she processes her friend’s brutal murder and through it all, tries to find herself and her voice in the middle of the fallout. But not only that, we see firsthand how such a violent, tragic and senseless loss can shake a community to its core.

The Police

Though the officer clearly was at fault here, I felt that the author didn’t demonize the police or place all of the blame on them. Yes, there are definitely some bad police officers out there, but there are also good ones.

In fact, Staar’s uncle was a police officer who, on more than one occasion, let her know that not all of the officers at his precinct are trigger-happy racists and that many of his fellow officers vehemently disagreed with the action of their corrupt colleague and those like him.

My Verdict

The Hate U Give is phenomenal. This is the brutally honest kind of book that will stay with you for a long time after having read it and perhaps may cause you to look at life differently after having read it. At the very least, it may cause us to question that which we’ve come to accept as “normal”. This was a gripping story that not only packed an emotional punch but was also an excellent fictional treatment of real-life racial issues facing America today.

Though Ms. Thomas openly treats the issue of police brutality, she also demonstrates in a very real way the day to day violence plaguing inner-city neighborhoods. This is a timely book whose importance cannot be overstated.

Though the book deals with heavy issues and is not always comfortable to read, there are plenty of light and fun parts as well — especially the often amusing scenes in which Staar interacts with her friends and family. While the book will make you cry, it will, in places, make you laugh with joy as well.

Throughout the book, the author weaves in themes of police brutality, racial profiling, hard choices, injustice, white privilege how young black men get pressured into dealing drugs, the challenges of living in gang-ridden neighborhoods, the everyday violence and danger that people living inner-city neighborhoods face — and does it with expert storytelling.

This is an honest and compelling book that I hope will be around and in people’s minds for many years to come. Definitely a 5-star read for me. Recommended!!!

You can check the The Hate U Give HERE

Review of They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

March 2, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

If you had one day to live, what would you do? This story is an honest and unafraid portrayal of two teens who had to make that decision — and all I can say is wow! They Both Die At The End is one of the most amazing books I’ve read this year — maybe ever. I knew from the title that this book was going to hurt my heart — and it did. As I listened to the audiobook, at one point, I found myself standing in the middle of the kitchen with tears streaming down my face. But the ride was so worth it.

The blurb is as follows:

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

The Setting

Image, if you will, a world in the not-so-distant future in which everyone knows the day they are going to die. A public service called “Death-Cast” is charged with telephoning anyone — between the hours of midnight and 3:00 — who is going to die within the next 24 hours. No details are given except that each person is encouraged to live out their last day the best they can.

Such is the setting for “They Both Die At The End.” Shortly after midnight, two teens, Mateo and Rufus, each receive the dreaded Death-Cast phone call telling them that within the next 24 hours, they are going to die. What follows is how they decide to live their last day on earth.

The Last Friend App

There is an app available called “The Last Friend App” in which Deckers (the name given to those who’ve received their Death-Cast call) can find each other and if they so choose, opt to spend their last day together. Though both Mateo and Rufus have loved ones, outside circumstances intervene to keep them apart, so instead they reach out to each other via the app. Once they meet in person, they make the decision to spend their last hours with each other and help each other to face their fears and say goodbye.

Their Lives

As the two get to know each other, we learn more about their past and what brought them to this particular point in their lives. Rufus is a tough street-kid whose entire family drowned. Mateo lost his mother early in life, and his father is currently in the hospital in a coma. It’s also worth mentioning that Mateo appears to be afraid of the world, perhaps suffering from social anxiety and does his best not to leave the safety of his apartment.

What I loved most about these two characters is how they bring out the best in each other and support each other when situations or emotions become challenging.

The One Day

Though each other, they discover parts of themselves they thought they’d lost and this realization encourages them even more to live their last day to the fullest. The story isn’t simply a day in the life of two Deckers; rather, it is a progression as each boy learns to truly savor life perhaps for the first time ever – and in the process, they come together in the most beautiful way.

In the one day that they found each other, they experience joy, sadness, loss, a couple of terrifying near-death situations and love; and in so doing, these two boys experience a profound connection to the world around them and each other.

The Other Stories

There are several minor characters that connect (or nearly connect) with Mateo and Rufus during their day together, outlining nicely how we’re connected to others and how they, in turn, are connected to us. Silvera does an excellent job of weaving these intertwining stories together and demonstrating the importance and significance of even the minor events and interactions in our lives.

Verdict

Yes, this book is heartbreaking and you’ll most likely tear up (if not ugly cry) in several places throughout the book. They Both Die At The End is a haunting book and will stay with you for awhile. It’s been over a week since I’ve read it and I’ve thought about it every day since then. I think that this is one of those life-changing stories that after reading it, can make you view the world differently. In this way, it’s a hopeful book that makes you want to get out there and drink as much as you can from the cup of life while you still can.

Regardless of the title, this isn’t the story of how two boys die, but about how they live once they find each other; so in this way, it’s not about dying but rather about living. It’s a gentle reminder that no matter what we do, we’re all going to “die at the end” so why not make the most of the life we are experiencing now?

I thought the premise of this story was brilliant. The creative and original character-driven plot kept me interested each step along with way and I couldn’t help but hope that somehow, Rufus and Mateo would escape their fate and NOT both die at the end of their 24-hour adventure (but you’ll have to read it to find out).

This bittersweet story is so beautifully written that I’m still amazed by the effect that it had on me. I laughed in places; I cried in others. And the endearing, honest characters of Rufus and Mateo pulled me in and held me fast until the very end. I could relate to both of them in several different ways, sometimes uncomfortably so. Through Rufus and Mateo, we receive lessons about courage, growth, friendship and daring to take chances. You can’t help but fall in love with both of them. I know I did.

After this novel, Adam Silver is definitely on my “insta-buy” list (I also loved his book “History Is All You Left Me”, another emotional rollercoaster ride) as this book is a definite 5-star read for me. So I thank you, Adam Silvera, for this beautiful heartfelt story. Recommended!!

You can check out “They Both Die At The End” HERE

Review of Battledoors: The Golden Slate by Brian Wilkinson

March 1, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I’m always a sucker for a story that takes place in or is tied to a bookstore which is exactly where Battledoors: The Golden Slate starts out.

The Blurb for the book is as follows:

Life constantly seems to be wavering between really good and really bad for Owen, a lonely sixteen-year-old still reeling from the unexpected death of his mother and a fresh move to Toronto. After ducking into an old bookstore to escape high school bullies, Owen discovers that he can travel to a parallel, twisted version of the city with a magical tablet called a Battledoor, where he encounters new allies, bizarre creatures, and the ultimate antagonist who will stop at nothing to procure the magical Golden Slate for himself.

Forced to work together with friends and enemies in order to return home, Owen is faced with a series of choices that will prompt him to find courage he never knew he had, explore the possibility of romance, and try to find a way to let go of his painful past and move on. But is Owen ready to finally take control, and become the protagonist of his own story?

The Protagonist and The Bully

The tale revolves around Owen, a high school student living in Toronto who is being bullied by an abrasive sociopath named James Vanier and his mute pal Lucas (though referred to as mute, I don’t think he really was as he did speak a time or two during the story). Up until this point, the bullying consisted of verbal abuse and some beatings. This morning, however, things seemed to take a darker turn as James pursued Owen with the clear intention of stabbing him. From James’s thoughts, it becomes clear to the reader that there is indeed a dark side to this young man – the word “broken” comes to mind.

Introducing: The Battledoor

Pursued by James and Lucas, Owen along with two high school friends Emily and Bea dash into an old bookstore hoping to lose them. While in the bookstore, Owen is attracted to an item called a Battledoor, which is a tablet-like device which the bookstore owner describes as a book where the reader chooses his or her own adventure by making a series of decisions. The owner of the bookstore gives the tablet to Owen and to Emily and Bea, he gives corresponding hornbooks.

James and Lucas discover their hiding place and burst into the bookstore. James attacks the store owner and amiss the confusion, Owen activates the device. Once he does so, a temporary door appears in the bookstore through which Owen, Emily, Bea, James and Lucas all go. They find themselves outdoors in an alley, and it only takes them a moment to realize that they are no longer in Toronto but in some sort of alternate universe . . .and thus the adventure begins.

The Doors

Through every world, there are a series of doors that lead to an unknown destination but one thing we can be certain of: there will always be a battle of some kind to be fought (hence the name “Battledoor”). Owen is typically given two choices such as “Fairies” or “Furies”. As we quickly learn, the most innocuous sounding choice is not always the best one.

The Story

The story had kind of a Jumanji feeling to it, where the characters are playing a game with real-life consequences — or perhaps “Ready Player One” in which the characters enter into a video game. Regardless, Battledoor: The Golden Slate is a fast-paced rollercoaster ride of an adventure story, and I loved the idea of not knowing what lies around the next corner. There are plently of surprises along the way. We also met some very zany characters and unique creatures along the way, including. . .

The Villian

In the Battledoor world, Owen is known as “The Protagonist”, which makes sense, giving that he is the hero of the store in which he and his friends are trapped. But as there is a protagonist in every story, there also needs to be an antagonist. Though we may have initially suspected that James would end up being the villain in this story, he is not (although I’m guessing he still could go either way). There is, however, a perfectly terrifying and sinister villain who goes by the name of Vellum whose main goal is to — you guessed it — kill the protagonist.

My Only Niggle

Perhaps the only drawback to Battledoor: The Golden Slate is that it’s not a complete story. That is to say, the book ends with an unsatisfying cliffhanger, which is something I personally dislike. But there are a lot of books out there with series cliffhangers that generate 5-star reviews so apparently many people aren’t bothered by them. So as you enter into this story, know that you’ll need to purchase the next book in the series in order to find out what happens next.

But I will say that those who do buy this book will most likely rush out to get the next one to find out the outcome of this exciting adventure.

The Verdict

This was a fast-paced fun book with a rollicking adventure that draws the reader right in. I found the characters to be well-developed and enjoyed learning more about them as the story progressed. The journey of our five heroes (and company) never gets dull, because we get taken from scene to scene pretty quickly.

I also enjoyed the world building and thought the author did an excellent job of portraying the many alternate universes our heroes encounter. Overall I found this to be an amazing read that was incredibly fun and entertaining, with a gripping story and vivid setting. The book is set to be released on April 3rd, 2018 so this may be one you’ll want to add to your TBR list. Recommended!

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase Battledoors: The Golden Slate here at Amazon

Review of Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

February 28, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

What a beautiful emotional ride this story was! I went into this book totally blind — I had no idea what it was about (it was a monthly read for one of my Goodreads groups so I thought I’d be brave and pick it up without so much as even reading the blurb). I was delightfully surprised by this special book and ended up loving it.

The blurb is as follows:

Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah.

But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity.

It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.

Introducing Tanner

As the blurb suggests, the story revolves around Tanner, an 18-year-old half-Jewish bisexual high school student who moved to Provo, Utah with his parents. He is openly out to his parents who are entirely comfortable with Tanner’s sexuality.

However, given as they live in a town where the majority of people are Mormons, they’ve asked Tanner to be especially careful of whom he comes out to. It’s also worth mentioning that his mother, due to heartbreaking issues with the church, is a lapsed Mormon herself.

Where It All Begins

Tanner, who, at the urging of his best friend Autumn, signs up for “The Seminar”, a popular and highly coveted course in which the students write an entire novel in four months under the supervision of a teacher and teaching assistant.

The TA for the course is none other than Sebastian Brother, a gifted author who, after taking the class himself the year prior, is now in the process of publishing his own novel. He is also a Mormon, the Bishop’s son and strikingly good-looking.

Enter Sebastian

From the moment Sebastian walks in the course, Tanner feels a connection with Sebastian — a buzz of electricity between them. Tanner can’t deny his attraction for Sebastian and in spite of his better judgment, finds himself falling for a boy whom he sees as the most untouchable person in Provo. But Tanner is more than a bit surprised when he learns that his feelings for Sebastian are reciprocated.

Knowing the LDS stance on homosexuality, Tanner’s parents are fearful that he is going to end up getting hurt, and they try to convince him that pursuing the Bishop’s son cannot lead to a happy ending. Though Tanner is well aware of the probable outcome of his feelings for Sebastian and he knows that he’d be better off not pursuing the man, his heart isn’t so easily convinced. This leads to an emotional, heartfelt and realistic journey of a young man who discovers he is attracted to Mormon boy faithful to his church — but falls for him regardless.

The Church

Being the Bishop’s son, it’s no surprise that Sebastian is heavily involved with his church. As such, he is in the process of preparing to leave on his two-year mission. But Sebastian is also trying to come to terms with his sexuality, specifically his attraction to males (something he’s more or less denied up to this point).

His emerging feelings for Tanner balanced against his obligations to the church, his parents and his community create even more turmoil and conflict for Sebastian. So while this is partly the story of Tanner falling in love with a member of the Mormon church, it is also very much the story of one courageous man’s search to find himself even if it means losing everything else he has ever known.

What really worked for me in this story is the respectful portrayal (at least as I saw it) of the Mormon church. Many stories that portray LGBTQ characters’ struggle with religion tend to demonize the church and all of its members in the process. I found it refreshing this book depicted the LDS church members as friendly, loving, helpful and positive, with a significant focus on service to others and service to the community. In this way, the author does an excellent job of balancing the positives of the church with the divisive ways that religion can, in certain situations, come between family members.

The Verdict

I absolutely loved this character-driven story. The characters of Sebastian and Tanner were realistic and believable, as were the secondary characters and by the end of the book, I felt as though I really knew these people. Each character is richly mapped out so you can understand where each one is coming from and why they react the way they do. Though the actions of both Tanner and Sebastian angered me from time to time, I understood the reasons for those actions. It this way, the characters were easy to relate to.

The story was well-paced and beautifully written with vivid descriptions of settings, making me feel as though I were actually there. But this isn’t just a love story between two boys. Rather, Autoboyography is a tender, emotional LGBTQ-positive coming-of-age novel dealing with issues of identity, church, choice, rejection, acceptance, and family.

This is a relevant book that deals with issues that many LGBTQ teens are facing today and gave a realistic portrayal of what many teens go through while trying to figure themselves out and find their place in the world. In this way, I feel that this is an important book — and a must-read for any teenager who has ever felt different or lonely, no matter what their age now.

Autoboyography is moving story that I connected with on many levels, and although it was heartbreaking at times, I found it to be a beautiful, emotional read with an encouraging ending that felt complete and satisfying to me. Recommended!

You can check out Autoboyography HERE

Review of The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza

February 26, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I’ll tell you straight away that I love Shaun David Hutchinson’s writing and as such, I’m a bit of a fanboi. That being said, I loved The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza and felt that the author once again did an amazing job, with an intriguing (if not zany), unique plot and a cast of lovable, intertwined characters.

The blurb is as follows:

Sixteen-year-old Elena Mendoza is the product of a virgin birth.

This can be scientifically explained (it’s called parthenogenesis), but what can’t be explained is how Elena is able to heal Freddie, the girl she’s had a crush on for years, from a gunshot wound in a Starbucks parking lot. Or why the boy who shot Freddie, David Combs, disappeared from the same parking lot minutes later after getting sucked up into the clouds. What also can’t be explained are the talking girl on the front of a tampon box, or the reasons that David Combs shot Freddie in the first place.

As more unbelievable things occur, and Elena continues to perform miracles, the only remaining explanation is the least logical of all—that the world is actually coming to an end, and Elena is possibly the only one who can do something about it.

Introducing Elena Mendoza

The book centers around a bisexual high school girl of Cuban descent named Elena Mendoza who was the product of a virgin birth (yes, really! It’s a scientific process called parthenogenesis where an offspring is born from an unfertilized egg) and because of it, she is often the target of ridicule at school, as many of the students call her “Mary”.

It’s also important to note that strange voices speak to Elena regularly, often coming from stuffed animals, corporate logos or from other inanimate objects (my favorites were baby Cthulu and the girl on the tampon box). Now nobody knows about the voices — Elena has kept them a secret from everyone around her, more or less ignoring them because what they’ve had to say in the past has never been really all that important — until the day when the apocalypse of Elena Mendoza began.

The Day the Apocalypse Begins

The story begins at Starbuck’s where Elena spots her crush Winifred (”Freddie”) Petrine sitting at a table. Elena’s best friend Fadil convinces her to walk over to Freddie’s table and talk to her. Working up her courage, Elena heads toward the table, but as she does, a boy from her high school draws a gun and shoots Freddie’s in the stomach.

Elena rushes over to her and out of the blue, the voices tell Elena to heal Freddie, that she has that ability. Elena, not quite believing the voices, places her hands on Freddie — and lo and behold, the bullet hole disappears and Freddie is indeed healed. But that’s not the only “miracle” that takes place. The moment Freddie is healed, a blinding flash of gold light comes down from the sky and sucks up the shooter. In other words, he was raptured up.

Choices that Impact Humanity

From that moment on, the voices grow more insistent and prevalent (as well as irreverent), as they encourage Elena to go out into the world and heal more people — or else the world will end.

But as she soon learns, all is not “love and light.” There appears to be a hefty price to pay for what she is doing, and she begins to question whether that price is worth paying.

It’s also during this time Elena begins to wonder (as does the reader) whether the voices truly have humanity’s best interest in mind, even though they insist their goal is to save the world. Hell, we don’t even know who or what they are.

The Character of Elena

The story is told from the first-person point of view of Elena, and I loved her character. I also appreciated the fact that she was a sure-of-herself girl who had no heart-wrenching coming-out issues to deal with. She knew who exactly she was and was not afraid to stand her ground when necessary.

As such, Elena is a strong, likable and dynamic character who has to struggle with making a very difficult decision, one that could impact the entire world. I think that the author handled her dilemma in a new and interesting way, especially once Elena decides on the route she’s going to take. I was truly impressed.

Excellent Secondary Characters (mostly)

The characterizations are excellent in this book and the author not only brings all of the characters vividly to life, but he makes the reader care about them. The secondary characters, Freddie and Fadil, were well-fleshed out and like all of us, were messy, confused, complex and insecure people. In this way, all of the secondary characters are colorful, realistic, well-drawn, and add to the impact of this book.

Being human, they all made mistakes which added to their completeness. But in spite their shortcomings and “humanness,” they are a positive force in Elena’s life — even her ex Javi (who in the past consistently tried to get Elena into bed) ended up redeeming himself as the story progressed.

I liked that the relationship between Freddie and Elena was complicated and enjoyed seeing them both grow as characters. In fact, all of the characters in the book went through significant changes throughout the story, a sign of the adeptness of the author.

The one exception is Sean, the deadbeat dad who though was mostly harmless, eventually crossed the line, but I felt that his character was handled well by the author. He outlined the complexity of Sean’s relationship with Elena’s mother and her kids, making us realize that situations are not always as black and white as they may seem.

Those Darn Voices

I have to say that the voices at times were hilarious, even though we had to decide, as a reader, whether or not to trust them, as they were usually quite vague about what was going on and tended to evade Elena’s questions. But that aside, I found them to be a side-splitting at times, and I loved the snappy banter between them and Elena, as they harassed her more and more via the inanimate objects around her.

It Does Tackle Some Serious Issues

The author wasn’t afraid to tackle some difficult issues in the book: teenage shooters, identity, depression, bullying, domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts and making life-altering choices; but he did so with finesse. He also showed us the importance of finding the courage to speak out, even if things may not turn out the way we hope. I felt that Hutchinson managed to confront these sensitive topics with deftness and aplomb.

Verdict

This was a fresh, compelling and unique story that was a delight to read and hooked me from the get-go. Sean David Hutchinson has a knack for grabbing me from the first page and keeping you interested until the last — he certainly knows how to capture a reader’s attention.

I loved this off-the-wall book with its lovable characters and fresh, mysterious plot. This was a moving tale that gives the reader plenty to think about afterward. The ending left me satisfied and happy that I came across this beautifully written novel. This is another 5-star read for me. Recommended!

You can check out the Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza HERE

Review of Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

February 20, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

When this book caught my eye, I realized that I had never read a John Green book — not one — which is strange considering that I enjoy contemporary YA books and I’ve faithfully watched John and Hank Green’s weekly vlog Brothers videos for several years now. Since Turtles All The Way Down is his most recent work, I decided to start with that one.

The blurb is as follows:

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

The Missing Billionaire

The story starts out when Russell Pickett, a billionaire goes missing just before his arrest, and there’s a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Aza and her best friend Daisy search for clues about his disappearance, hoping to collect the reward. It’s worth mentioning that Russell Pickett is no stranger to Aza — or at least, his son Davis isn’t.

As it turns out, Aza and Davis were at a summer camp together years ago (which they named “Sad camp” as it was for children who’ve lost one of their parents). Once Aza and Daisy stumble onto the Pickett property and subsequently get caught, they are taken by security to the billionaire’s son, resulting in Aza inadvertently rekindling her friendship with Davis.

Davis and Noah

Davis and Noah are Pickett’s two children who are now left to fend for themselves, supervised only by paid house employees while authorities search for their fugitive father. Davis figures out what Aza is up to, and pleads with her not to search for his father. He doesn’t want to put his brother Noah (who’s only 13 years old) through the agony of seeing their father arrested and the subsequent media circus that’s bound to follow. Aza is torn, especially once she begins to fall for Davis. She also discovers a protective instinct seems to surface within her whenever she’s around Noah.

Where’s the Mystery?

So as I’m reading along, I noticed that not all that much is really happening in regards to the search for Russell Pickett. Aza and Daisy seem to have given up their quest, and there’s not really any other action going on relating to the billionaire’s disappearance. That’s when it hit me: Turtles All The Way Down is not about the mystery of a fugitive billionaire: it’s something completely different. The book has very little to do with what’s going on in the physical reality — it’s really about what’s going on in Aza’s mind.

Into Aza’s Mind

Rather than a mystery, this novel is instead a powerful story about mental illness. The story is told from the first-person point of view of Aza, who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which manifests for her as thought spirals which grip her and refuse to let go. That is to say, once she grasps onto a thought, she cannot pull herself back up from it, no matter how hard she may try. She’s trapped in her own mind.

For Aza, one particularly disturbing spiraling revolves around a fear that potentially fatal bacteria has gotten into her body somehow and will lead to her passing away from C. Diff (Clostridium difficile).

The Main Story

In this way, the disappearance of the billionaire is secondly to the working of Aza’s mind and how her OCD affects her relationship with Daily, her mother, and Davis. The story is heartbreaking at times as Aza struggles with her desire to be a “good” daughter, friend and girlfriend, but her mind simply doesn’t allow it. It’s not surprising that this all leads to significant self-confidence issues and depression on Aza’s part as she fears that she’s making everyone around her miserable.

The book wasn’t always easy to read, and I think that was the point. This is a book that hurts your heart as we experience first-hand what it’s like to be in her mind and witness how anxiety can completely take over a person’s life.

Through Aza, we gain insight into what it might be like to live with constant runaway intrusive thoughts and how difficult it is to keep a grasp on reality. For me, this story provided an eye-opening and raw portrayal of what’s the struggle might be like — a struggle that others around you might not always understand. For example, Daisy considers Aza as kind of self-centered and selfish, obviously not fully understanding that Aza had no control over her thought spirals.

Though it dealt with serious subject matter, the book was also light, humorous and laugh-out-loud funny in places. Green did an excellent job of balancing the seriousness of the book’s theme with playfulness and lightheartedness, and in so doing, I couldn’t help but fall in love with all the characters in this book.

The Verdict

Turtle’s All The Way Down was about a young girl’s struggle to find her place in the world and figure out her part in the big picture of things, something that many of us struggle with from time to time.

This was a beautiful engaging book not just about OCD, but also about friendship, loyalty, about finding yourself and about sticking by and being there for one another throughout the thick and thin of life’s experiences. It was also a gentle reminder of the importance of stopping and putting ourselves in the shoes of our loved ones from time to time.

The book was a powerful character-driven and unique story that was heartbreaking in some places and funny in others. The ending was perfect and hopeful — overall, a brilliant story. Another excellent 5-star book for me. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Green’s work. Recommended!

You can check out Turtles All The Way Down HERE