A review by kellieveltri
The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison

4.0

The Fundamentals of Caring is my favorite movie. It’s an unconventional choice, I know, but the dramatic ebbs of serious and lighthearted moments play perfectly into a heart-breaking and -warming story. This book, however, is immeasurably sad. It is clear that the story is a vehicle for Elvison’s personal grief, and the intermittent moments of humor are the only thing that sustain the reader. This model works for Ben Benjamin’s character, though, as it mirrors the course of his life over the past three years. This story is very much Ben’s, although Trevor of course plays a meaningful role in his development. The cast of oddball side characters is able to be more fully fleshed-out over the length of the novel (although Elvison’s treatment of women both as characters and in Ben and Trev’s conversations is disappointing and certainly leaves something to be desired) and I found myself personally caring for each one of them. Although the book ends on a far more melancholy note than its film adaptation, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon and we believe that Ben is going to be okay.