Reviews

Foster Dade is a new student in the year 2008 at Kennedy, an elite boarding school in New Jersey. Foster is lonely and working through his adolescence in the aftermath of his parent's divorce when he becomes friends with Annabeth Whittaker and Jack Albright. The two popular students take him under their wing at Kennedy but their help does not warrant a happy ending. Eighteen months later Foster is expelled in the wake of a tragic scandal and 10+ years in the future we dive into a literary investigation undertaken by the student who moved into Dade's old room at Kennedy shortly thereafter. We are taken through Foster's blog posts, playlists, and messages with friends, in addition to interviews with former classmates, and the narrator's imagination. Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos highlights privilege and the power that comes with it, the expectations of boys and their masculinity, and how and what we give meaning to eventually shapes the course of our lives.

Overall I thought this book had some tough and complex themes that it touched on (TW: SA, heavy drug use, homophobia, suicide). At some points, it felt like it was a little too much and I felt exhausted by the characters' ignorance and complacency, but I did think many characters were relatable in their flaws. Rich people, first world problems. The book is very self-aware at times (maybe not the characters but the narrator) about the way it handles class, race, and gender. The thing is the world is not perfect and there are people out there who live excessively and with extreme reams of power and wealth. There are a lot of horrible rich people.

"No one else wants to read six hundred pages about rich white kids behaving badly."

"Rich white kids being rich white kids. And rich white kids are cunts."

Foster Dade is struggling with depression and anxiety as well as feelings of inadequacy with his peers. This is a common theme throughout adolescence, the comparison of oneself to others. Some of the characters like Annabeth and Jack (as well as Mason and Gracie) were incredibly insufferable (albeit struggling with their inner demons) and the way that they treated Foster was terrible. Many of the characters had a facade up, and you could not tell who anybody truly was. Mental health was covered a lot in this book whether it was depression, anxiety, or even the detriments that come with homophobia and having to hide your true self. Many of the characters had shame emanating from deep within them. How do we treat ourselves and why do we punish ourselves for simply existing?

"But it's not about being interesting. It's about justifying my presence. Which I have never been able to imagine - my presence I mean - as anything other than wretched, repulsive, an unwanted intrusion."

"'I have never met someone,' she said, 'who has a bigger appetite for misery. You're a glutton for punishment, Foster Dade.'"

I enjoyed the portrayal of early adolescence and the magic that comes with it. As I get older I have realized how beautiful it is to be young and carefree. As we get older (and more often than not wiser) I still find that we have more burdens to bear and I am often nostalgic for the simpler times in my life in high school.

"Adolescence is an exercise in coveting what exists just beyond our grasp; it is this inaccessibility that sustains its magic."

"Adolescence, when the whole world has a shimmer of possibility and we are all our main characters."

"'I feel - like everything and nothing,' she whispered. 'I feel so young.'"

The mixed media writing style was fun and I enjoyed the inclusion of Foster's blog posts, playlists, etc. I think it added to the uniqueness of the story as well as showing us the research that the narrator was performing.

duhkota_reads13's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

rachellemarcotte's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was so heartbreaking and enthralling to read, you knew it was going to end badly and at most times it was already going downhill but I found myself continuing to hope it would be kind of ok right up to the inevitable outcome. They’re all just so young and high school sucks and growing up is hard and in reality everyone is confused and anxious but when you’re 16 you feel like you’re the only one. Foster Dade the sad boy with the sad eyes I’m so sorry for you

ecox180's review

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The thing about me is that I love a good bilsdungroman, most especially when they can capture the zeitgeist of the late 00s/early 10s. Like an iTunes playlist capturing my exact early adolescent playlists of radio friendly indie pop? Say less.

The downfall of Foster Dade was that it was incredibly verbose. Like, l found myself speed reading through parts because they were so wordy and I just wanted the plot to advance already. This book would have been way better if it had been cut in the half and all of the pretentious rambling edited out. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the plot and so it’s a solid 3.5 stars for me.

ritajuanita's review

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A lot of dense exposition that doesn’t add to the story. I may go back to it, as I’m interested, but it’s been a bit of a slog, so far.

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