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A review by mhinnen
So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Lewis is a young gay man who just lost his job, his boyfriend, and their savings. Chester Wheeler is estranged from his family and has a dying wish. Lewis ends up on a road trip caring for Chester, his insufferable homophobic neighbor because he needs a job and no one else will take the job. They each discover surprising truths about themselves and one another. The relationship moves from one that is transactional to one that builds respect and understanding.
I always appreciate Catherine Ryan Hyde's relationship development between unusual pairings. She has a gift for taking ordinary people's lives and exploring what it might be like to connect them with someone who it is unlikely they would ever do more than cross paths with. Through these relationships, common humanity is revealed.
It was satisfying to experience Lewis' growth as he recognizes that when someone is unkind to him "they're just showing me the landscape on the inside of themselves as they project it out onto somebody else." And like Lewis, I never particularly liked Chester, but in understanding him better, I empathized more with why he was that way. And I also felt like it was a good reminder to consider where you want to be at the end of your life, what relationships you want to heal, and how you want to be remembered.
This is a feel-good vacation read but could also be read over a stretch of time, picking up where you left off without too much urgency but caring enough to find out what happens next.
#SoLongChesterWheeler #NetGalley
I always appreciate Catherine Ryan Hyde's relationship development between unusual pairings. She has a gift for taking ordinary people's lives and exploring what it might be like to connect them with someone who it is unlikely they would ever do more than cross paths with. Through these relationships, common humanity is revealed.
It was satisfying to experience Lewis' growth as he recognizes that when someone is unkind to him "they're just showing me the landscape on the inside of themselves as they project it out onto somebody else." And like Lewis, I never particularly liked Chester, but in understanding him better, I empathized more with why he was that way. And I also felt like it was a good reminder to consider where you want to be at the end of your life, what relationships you want to heal, and how you want to be remembered.
This is a feel-good vacation read but could also be read over a stretch of time, picking up where you left off without too much urgency but caring enough to find out what happens next.
#SoLongChesterWheeler #NetGalley