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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
At first glance, I thought [b:Last Night I Sang to the Monster|6413788|Last Night I Sang to the Monster|Benjamin Alire Sáenz|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327980334s/6413788.jpg|6602788] belonged to books in the horror genre seeing as it had the word "monster" in the title. You would think (or in my case, I did) that the monster it was referring to was the same to those you would find under the bed or those lurking in the shadows that are mostly made up or are only imaginary. Having finished this book, however, I found that it was more than that. The monsters this book spoke of are real — they are the ones we have rooted deep inside of us which hinders us from letting go and moving on.
It has been a while since I last read a book that made me feel pretty emotional. Some bits would undoubtedly make you tear up with both sad and happy tears. That being said, words truly have a way of making you feel all different kinds of things. Like Rafael, one of the characters, said: “I’m a true believer in words. I believe in their power, in their ability to hurt and their ability to heal.”
My review on [b:Last Night I Sang to the Monster|6413788|Last Night I Sang to the Monster|Benjamin Alire Sáenz|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327980334s/6413788.jpg|6602788] may be quite brief, but that doesn't amount to how beautiful this piece of work is. A definite must-read for those who are having a hard time facing their own monster. Read and you will understand. Read, and it will give you hope.
It has been a while since I last read a book that made me feel pretty emotional. Some bits would undoubtedly make you tear up with both sad and happy tears. That being said, words truly have a way of making you feel all different kinds of things. Like Rafael, one of the characters, said: “I’m a true believer in words. I believe in their power, in their ability to hurt and their ability to heal.”
My review on [b:Last Night I Sang to the Monster|6413788|Last Night I Sang to the Monster|Benjamin Alire Sáenz|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327980334s/6413788.jpg|6602788] may be quite brief, but that doesn't amount to how beautiful this piece of work is. A definite must-read for those who are having a hard time facing their own monster. Read and you will understand. Read, and it will give you hope.
Yet another book that’s been on my TBR for way too long, since 2012 or so, and I’m finally knocking it off the list! I’ve never read anything by Sáenz before, but I had heard good things and was intrigued by the premise of this book. YA is not usually my thing but I wanted something quick and easy to get through while reading some dense books. Despite being YA, this book deals with a lot of heavy subjects like substance abuse, familial abuse, the aftermath of trauma, and creating a sense of personhood. It was also listed on the page for When Jeff Comes Home by Catherine Atkins, which was my previous read; since I knew this was on my TBR, it felt natural to continue on to reading this book.
The structure and writing style of the book is very poetic; it isn’t a linear narrative, but makes use of flashbacks, monologues to the reader, and the standard first-person POV of Zach, a teenage boy who is spending time in a rehabilitation facility for substance abuse. The conceit of the book is that neither Zach nor we, as readers, know why he is there—what events culminated in his current broken state. Thus, the book takes us on a journey of going along Zach on his path to recovery and to understanding the state of affairs that brought him here. Written in a casual and conversational style, the book was a quick one to get through and I read it in mostly one sitting.
Some of the standard YA tropes annoyed me here. Zach’s voice felt too teenage-like at times, like it was overly forced; some of the ways he said things also felt unrealistic. But maybe that’s just a sign of this book being written in 2009. Somehow, I still don’t remember teens talking like Zach back then…but I digress. His attitude has a razor-sharp edge, which was almost laughable if I didn’t know it was on-the-nose for how you feel at the age of 18. Still, despite this, Zach was a character I could empathize with—his struggles felt real, which is a credit to Sáenz’s writing.
This book also has strong side characters, like Zach’s therapist Adam and his roommate Rafael. It was delightful seeing Zach open up more and more to these characters and see how their relationships and trust developed over the course of the book. Sometimes Zach reacts in frustrating ways, but it only goes to show that the process of recovery is painful and difficult, and no matter the trauma, uncovering those demons will necessarily involve a degree of pain. Of course Zach wants to avoid that pain, and that is understandable. But as a reader, you nevertheless want to root for him overcoming this temporary pain so that he can begin healing from his trauma. Since this is a YA book, it’s more on the optimistic side of things, and the ending was a bit cliched but felt realistic.
Seeing Zach slowly come to understand himself as a person, let alone a person capable of being loved and respected, was quite valuable to read. But I did find that Sáenz’s writing could be rather repetitive. The book is narrated in first-person POV by Zach, but Sáenz has him constantly repeating the same phrases over and over again, and repeating his same stubborn refusal to remember up until the last few chapters of the book. The reveal of what happened to Zach wasn’t particularly difficult to grasp, either. Perhaps these elements would work better for the intended YA audience. But I can only imagine how many times a teenager would even be able to get through reading ‘that tore me up’ or ‘that wigged me out’ before getting annoyed. I can understand that teens might think like this, or deal with trauma in this way, but as a reader, it’s not as engaging to read a book written in this style.
The themes discussed in this book are important, even more so today; addiction and trauma are invisible topics that society loves to pretend to deal with superficially, but in reality, doesn’t want to get their hands dirty to actually understand and deal with them in all of their unpleasantness. Recovering from addiction and trauma is not easy nor painless, but society is not well-equipped to deal with that. In a way, this book was a hopeful read because things were set up nicely for Zach—and all within reason in the narrative—where he was able to spend about two months in an intensive rehab facility and meet people who truly cared for him and his journey. In reality, things might not work out so neatly, but it was nice to read a situation where something like this is possible, and that does give me a little bit of hope. Moving forward, even when the path is unclear and unpaved and littered with painful memories, is hope. Conceiving of ourselves as agents of change is hope. Not limiting ourselves to our trauma and past is hope. This is what this book has emphasized, and these messages are important not just for the YA audience but for anybody. Perhaps this isn’t the most well-written or interesting book, but it is an important one nonetheless.
The structure and writing style of the book is very poetic; it isn’t a linear narrative, but makes use of flashbacks, monologues to the reader, and the standard first-person POV of Zach, a teenage boy who is spending time in a rehabilitation facility for substance abuse. The conceit of the book is that neither Zach nor we, as readers, know why he is there—what events culminated in his current broken state. Thus, the book takes us on a journey of going along Zach on his path to recovery and to understanding the state of affairs that brought him here. Written in a casual and conversational style, the book was a quick one to get through and I read it in mostly one sitting.
Some of the standard YA tropes annoyed me here. Zach’s voice felt too teenage-like at times, like it was overly forced; some of the ways he said things also felt unrealistic. But maybe that’s just a sign of this book being written in 2009. Somehow, I still don’t remember teens talking like Zach back then…but I digress. His attitude has a razor-sharp edge, which was almost laughable if I didn’t know it was on-the-nose for how you feel at the age of 18. Still, despite this, Zach was a character I could empathize with—his struggles felt real, which is a credit to Sáenz’s writing.
This book also has strong side characters, like Zach’s therapist Adam and his roommate Rafael. It was delightful seeing Zach open up more and more to these characters and see how their relationships and trust developed over the course of the book. Sometimes Zach reacts in frustrating ways, but it only goes to show that the process of recovery is painful and difficult, and no matter the trauma, uncovering those demons will necessarily involve a degree of pain. Of course Zach wants to avoid that pain, and that is understandable. But as a reader, you nevertheless want to root for him overcoming this temporary pain so that he can begin healing from his trauma. Since this is a YA book, it’s more on the optimistic side of things, and the ending was a bit cliched but felt realistic.
Seeing Zach slowly come to understand himself as a person, let alone a person capable of being loved and respected, was quite valuable to read. But I did find that Sáenz’s writing could be rather repetitive. The book is narrated in first-person POV by Zach, but Sáenz has him constantly repeating the same phrases over and over again, and repeating his same stubborn refusal to remember up until the last few chapters of the book. The reveal of what happened to Zach wasn’t particularly difficult to grasp, either. Perhaps these elements would work better for the intended YA audience. But I can only imagine how many times a teenager would even be able to get through reading ‘that tore me up’ or ‘that wigged me out’ before getting annoyed. I can understand that teens might think like this, or deal with trauma in this way, but as a reader, it’s not as engaging to read a book written in this style.
The themes discussed in this book are important, even more so today; addiction and trauma are invisible topics that society loves to pretend to deal with superficially, but in reality, doesn’t want to get their hands dirty to actually understand and deal with them in all of their unpleasantness. Recovering from addiction and trauma is not easy nor painless, but society is not well-equipped to deal with that. In a way, this book was a hopeful read because things were set up nicely for Zach—and all within reason in the narrative—where he was able to spend about two months in an intensive rehab facility and meet people who truly cared for him and his journey. In reality, things might not work out so neatly, but it was nice to read a situation where something like this is possible, and that does give me a little bit of hope. Moving forward, even when the path is unclear and unpaved and littered with painful memories, is hope. Conceiving of ourselves as agents of change is hope. Not limiting ourselves to our trauma and past is hope. This is what this book has emphasized, and these messages are important not just for the YA audience but for anybody. Perhaps this isn’t the most well-written or interesting book, but it is an important one nonetheless.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Heartbreakingly beautiful, and ultimately hopeful.
3,8 ⭐️
Personajes 4/5 faltó más desarrollo de algunos personajes secundarios.
Trama 3,5 /5 la resolución fue muy rápida.
Llanto 3/5
Personajes 4/5 faltó más desarrollo de algunos personajes secundarios.
Trama 3,5 /5 la resolución fue muy rápida.
Llanto 3/5
This book made me cry and I don't cry very easily. Benjamin Alire Saenz's ability to use simple language to evoke and portray complex feelings and situations is my favorite thing about his books, and of all those of his that I have read, this book does that the best.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Pero las palabras no iban a salvarnos. De qué servían las palabras de Rafael? De qué servían las palabras de Adam? De qué servían las palabras de cualquiera?”
Un libro maravilloso, oscuro y esperanzador de la misma forma, Zach y los demás personajes son completamente entrañables en especial (o al menos para mi) Rafael y Adam, esta historia a diferencia de las demás de este estilo tiene un enfoque esperanzador y luminosos sin dejar de lado por supuesto su pizca de angustia. Simplemente otra hermosa historia sobre el amor en todas sus formas, definitivamente este hombre nunca decepciona.
PD. Si pudiera ranquearlo con más de 5⭐️ lo haría.
Un libro maravilloso, oscuro y esperanzador de la misma forma, Zach y los demás personajes son completamente entrañables en especial (o al menos para mi) Rafael y Adam, esta historia a diferencia de las demás de este estilo tiene un enfoque esperanzador y luminosos sin dejar de lado por supuesto su pizca de angustia. Simplemente otra hermosa historia sobre el amor en todas sus formas, definitivamente este hombre nunca decepciona.
PD. Si pudiera ranquearlo con más de 5⭐️ lo haría.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
About an 18yr old that ends up in a rehab. You spend most of the book waiting to find out why and what happened to land him there. Then it's revealing in a matter of only a couple paragraphs. I wasn't a huge fan of the main characters voice in the beginning to the middle and then I either got over it or didn't notice it as much. There was a bit too much mentioning of "God" than I like in a book so this overall was just ok for me.