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thepetitepunk's review against another edition
5.0
January 24th, 2021:
4.5 stars
Still thought this book was absolutely wonderful. The writing was a bit more simple than I remember, but this is still my favorite book about siblings. Quiet, but gorgeous.
July 18th, 2016:
What They Always Tell Us is a beautifully written story. It is told from the perspectives of Alex and James, two brothers living in Alabama, who have drifted apart because of an incident that landed Alex in the hospital.
As Alex copes with the repercussions of the incident, James isn't sure how to show his own support; he is confused and hurt by his younger brother's actions and no matter what he tries to say, his words come out harshly. Busy with friends and parties and grades and tennis, James can't seem to find a way to show how much he cares about his brother. A brother that is now considered a freak by their entire school.
Alex must deal with his own internal problems. He no longer has friends (except for his 10 year neighbor named Henry) and is the outcast of his school. He fails to find support when he needs it most and is distant from the rest of the world. It seems as if he'll never truly be happy again until he encounters Nathen, a friend of James who is on the cross-country team. The two form a close relationship and Alex is the happiest he has ever been.
I loved how the characters developed in this story. When James really starts to listen to his brother, he is able to see the situation with new eyes. He makes attempts to talk to Alex so that he can understand him, and is able to repair their relationship.
Alex, who is still figuring out his identity, experiences the ups and downs of growing up. At the beginning of the story, Alex feels neglected and out of place. The people around him are growing up and living life, but for some reason Alex isn't going in the same direction as them. As Alex comes to terms with himself, he has his moments of empowerment. For once, he feels in control of his life. His is his life, and he gets to choose how he deals with the people around him and his own thoughts and emotions. My favorite scene was when Alex has an epiphany while talking to a friend who had turned his back on him:
"…he [Alex] didn't say anything to Tyler because he doesn't care about him or the other people who still shun him, who probably talk behind his back, who think he's a loser, a nutcase, maybe even a fag. They have no power over him anymore…even if this feeling is temporary—and he knows it will be—it feels good, because he has never, ever felt this way before."
I loved every part of What They Always Tell Us. The characters, the events, the writing, the theme. They all worked together perfectly. The story is simple but strong, and every word resonated with me.
4.5 stars
Still thought this book was absolutely wonderful. The writing was a bit more simple than I remember, but this is still my favorite book about siblings. Quiet, but gorgeous.
July 18th, 2016:
What They Always Tell Us is a beautifully written story. It is told from the perspectives of Alex and James, two brothers living in Alabama, who have drifted apart because of an incident that landed Alex in the hospital.
As Alex copes with the repercussions of the incident, James isn't sure how to show his own support; he is confused and hurt by his younger brother's actions and no matter what he tries to say, his words come out harshly. Busy with friends and parties and grades and tennis, James can't seem to find a way to show how much he cares about his brother. A brother that is now considered a freak by their entire school.
Alex must deal with his own internal problems. He no longer has friends (except for his 10 year neighbor named Henry) and is the outcast of his school. He fails to find support when he needs it most and is distant from the rest of the world. It seems as if he'll never truly be happy again until he encounters Nathen, a friend of James who is on the cross-country team. The two form a close relationship and Alex is the happiest he has ever been.
I loved how the characters developed in this story. When James really starts to listen to his brother, he is able to see the situation with new eyes. He makes attempts to talk to Alex so that he can understand him, and is able to repair their relationship.
Alex, who is still figuring out his identity, experiences the ups and downs of growing up. At the beginning of the story, Alex feels neglected and out of place. The people around him are growing up and living life, but for some reason Alex isn't going in the same direction as them. As Alex comes to terms with himself, he has his moments of empowerment. For once, he feels in control of his life. His is his life, and he gets to choose how he deals with the people around him and his own thoughts and emotions. My favorite scene was when Alex has an epiphany while talking to a friend who had turned his back on him:
"…he [Alex] didn't say anything to Tyler because he doesn't care about him or the other people who still shun him, who probably talk behind his back, who think he's a loser, a nutcase, maybe even a fag. They have no power over him anymore…even if this feeling is temporary—and he knows it will be—it feels good, because he has never, ever felt this way before."
I loved every part of What They Always Tell Us. The characters, the events, the writing, the theme. They all worked together perfectly. The story is simple but strong, and every word resonated with me.
x_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
Set in Tuscaloosa, this book had very mixed reviews among my class. Some people found the descriptions of Tuscaloosa distracting, others felt they were comforting. Some people felt the teens were flat and poorly developed, while others disagreed. The book dealt with homosexuality and suicide, but did so in a way that was uplifting rather than brutal. I felt it was refreshing in comparison to some of the darker books out there.
viviennemorgain's review against another edition
4.0
It was cool with a couple of powerful sentences, but for me, nothing can top Aristotle and Dante or the writing of David Levithan.
thukpa's review against another edition
3.0
Very understated and linear, but with a powerful message about coming out, depression and brotherly relationships.
mbrandmaier's review against another edition
3.0
Once upon a time there were two brothers and they were fairly close. Then the younger brother drank a bottle of Pine-sol and had to have his stomach pumped. And now no one at school will speak to the younger brother while the older brother remains popular. What is going on?!
mckinlay's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Would have liked a little more closure but still really good. Would recommend to people who prefer character driven stories.
kooterjohnson's review against another edition
5.0
5/5
I wish I could have found this back in high school, what a read..
I wish I could have found this back in high school, what a read..
hexijosh's review against another edition
4.0
I have lived all 25 years of my life in Tuscaloosa and have always wanted to find a book about this hick town and I happened to find it by mistake.
What They Always Tell Us perfectly captures life in this college town and what it is like to grow up in Tuscaloosa, from both a straight and gay point of view.
It was so surreal to read along and see mentions to places like Buddy's food mart, the Sunbeam Bread company and etc. It made me feel less trapped and not nearly as alone. Like somewhere out there, someone who knows made it to the other side and reported back.
Even if you can't find Alabama on a map, this is still a great read and I would recommend it to anyone.
What They Always Tell Us perfectly captures life in this college town and what it is like to grow up in Tuscaloosa, from both a straight and gay point of view.
It was so surreal to read along and see mentions to places like Buddy's food mart, the Sunbeam Bread company and etc. It made me feel less trapped and not nearly as alone. Like somewhere out there, someone who knows made it to the other side and reported back.
Even if you can't find Alabama on a map, this is still a great read and I would recommend it to anyone.
elvenavari's review against another edition
5.0
It took me about five chapters to get into this book but once I did I was off and running. I loved the fact that I could feel Alex's nervous anxiousness and his fluttering happiness. James was an enigma but I found himself liking him immensely, especially once he started acting like a brother to Alex. Henry was a fun character too, I was sad to see him leave, even though I think he's going to get his happy ending.
I was sad to see this book end because it didn't give me a true feeling of closure. But... at the same time I feel like I discovered something incredible in those last lines.
I look forward to seeing what this author does in the future.
I was sad to see this book end because it didn't give me a true feeling of closure. But... at the same time I feel like I discovered something incredible in those last lines.
I look forward to seeing what this author does in the future.
readerpants's review against another edition
3.0
I'm maybe getting a little burned out on probably-heavily-autobiographical-MFA-theses-set-during-the-author's-undisclosed-teen-years that get turned into YA fiction because of the teen protagonists. There are a lot of them, especially queer ones, and I can't help but feel that these authors don't read YA... in part because they so often privilege their own voice over the characters' voices.
Anyway, there were things I liked about this book -- many of the boys' interactions felt authentic, and there was a lot of time spent developing a strong sense of the setting.
But there were little things that irked me. If it was set during the 90s, why not have a reason to do so, or say so with other cultural markers instead of assuming that setting -- complete with having your own phone line in your room, a lack of cell phones, no internet, etc -- was somehow neutral? I'm pretty sure the author wouldn't define this as historical fiction, but I'm totally tagging it that way. And if you're going to set it during a time that is so radically different than today for queer teens, then it's worth exploring what that means with a little more intentionality, rather than assuming that your readers have the background knowledge to understand it. Because it's little things -- Will and Grace being the only thing on TV, pre-Ellen, post-AIDS, no internet, few ways for isolated kids to have expectations of queer behavior and identity, etc. I think those are all present in the book, but they're part of the background, as if the reader will just understand them. And as a reader in my early 30s, I do. But while the core of human experience is the same, queer life is really, really different for teens now -- even isolated ones -- than it was then.
That's more of a ramble than a review... perhaps I'll be able to pull a more thoughtful and organized review together later.
Anyway, there were things I liked about this book -- many of the boys' interactions felt authentic, and there was a lot of time spent developing a strong sense of the setting.
But there were little things that irked me. If it was set during the 90s, why not have a reason to do so, or say so with other cultural markers instead of assuming that setting -- complete with having your own phone line in your room, a lack of cell phones, no internet, etc -- was somehow neutral? I'm pretty sure the author wouldn't define this as historical fiction, but I'm totally tagging it that way. And if you're going to set it during a time that is so radically different than today for queer teens, then it's worth exploring what that means with a little more intentionality, rather than assuming that your readers have the background knowledge to understand it. Because it's little things -- Will and Grace being the only thing on TV, pre-Ellen, post-AIDS, no internet, few ways for isolated kids to have expectations of queer behavior and identity, etc. I think those are all present in the book, but they're part of the background, as if the reader will just understand them. And as a reader in my early 30s, I do. But while the core of human experience is the same, queer life is really, really different for teens now -- even isolated ones -- than it was then.
That's more of a ramble than a review... perhaps I'll be able to pull a more thoughtful and organized review together later.