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A review by cewhisenant
What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson
3.0
This is going to be a hard book to review because I'm going to break protocol: I'm not going to begin this review with a quote. This wasn't an incredibly quotable book and I don't want to start off my review with a mediocre quote about this above average book. I may have rated it three stars, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate how needed stories like this are.
What They Always Tell Us is a novel centered around a pair of brothers growing up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. James and his younger brother, Alex. The book starts out a little while after Alex had drunk Pine-Sol at a party which definitely sets the mood of this novel to "serious contemporary." It goes on to handle sexuality, peer pressure, mental illness, brotherhood, and many other high school-centric themes.
This isn't a happy-go-lucky novel that leaves you giddy and optimistic. It's not glamorous or even enjoyable to read at times. The characters aren't perfect and don't always make the kind or right choice. Lots of these characters actually make you rage at humanity.
But it matters because not every story needs to be about perfect people living perfect lives where something goes wrong. The world of YA especially needs more novels like this, where not everything ends up perfect or miserable but just in the middle. Some things worked out others did not. It was just like real life. It was refreshing and uncomfortably honest.
This would have been an easy four or five stars if the novel hadn't had a few pacing and plot problems. I felt like certain chapters had me glued to the page while others were dull. There were also a few subplots I didn't completely understand the purpose of. However, maybe this was just a me thing.
Overall, a touching story of two brothers and all the crap life throws at us. Highly recommend to lovers of realistic realistic fiction, those who enjoy themes of family and friendship, and of course, fans of some good old self-discovery.
What They Always Tell Us is a novel centered around a pair of brothers growing up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. James and his younger brother, Alex. The book starts out a little while after Alex had drunk Pine-Sol at a party which definitely sets the mood of this novel to "serious contemporary." It goes on to handle sexuality, peer pressure, mental illness, brotherhood, and many other high school-centric themes.
This isn't a happy-go-lucky novel that leaves you giddy and optimistic. It's not glamorous or even enjoyable to read at times. The characters aren't perfect and don't always make the kind or right choice. Lots of these characters actually make you rage at humanity.
But it matters because not every story needs to be about perfect people living perfect lives where something goes wrong. The world of YA especially needs more novels like this, where not everything ends up perfect or miserable but just in the middle. Some things worked out others did not. It was just like real life. It was refreshing and uncomfortably honest.
This would have been an easy four or five stars if the novel hadn't had a few pacing and plot problems. I felt like certain chapters had me glued to the page while others were dull. There were also a few subplots I didn't completely understand the purpose of. However, maybe this was just a me thing.
Overall, a touching story of two brothers and all the crap life throws at us. Highly recommend to lovers of realistic realistic fiction, those who enjoy themes of family and friendship, and of course, fans of some good old self-discovery.