A review by just_one_more_paige
Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 
I have seen many readers rave about Jackson's novels. And I've been meaning to read something by her for quite some time. She has quite a few books out now, and there seems to just be consensus that her books are great; no standout or obvious starting place. So, this ended up being a random choice. 
 
When Claudia heads back to school to start her 8th grade year, she cannot wait to see her best friend Monday after a summer spent apart. But Monday isn't there. In fact, weeks go by and she still isn't coming to school - but no one seems to know where she actually is. And as far as Claudia can tell, no one cares but her. She and Monday are as close as sisters, so Claudia cannot figure out why she disappeared without telling her, not when they had so many plans for high school and dance and...everything...that they can only do together. Plus, after all the rumors from last year and how much Claudia needs her help for school, she just knows that something is wrong. Despite getting continued misinformation and run-arounds from everyone she goes to for help, including her parents, school teachers and counselors, Monday's family, and even the police, Claudia will not stop looking for her friend, determined to figure out why no one can tell her where Monday has gone. 
 
Wow, y'all. I honestly don't know what I was expecting, as there can really be no "happy ending" or "uplifting message" to a story about a missing child that no one can find (or even really seems to be looking for). And yet, this was still way more intense than I was prepared for. First, the obvious. It is horrifying and infuriating that something like this can happen. Yes, I realize that this is fictional. However, this is one of those stories that is fiction only because these characters are not real, not because the situation/plot hasn't or doesn't happen. There are some heartbreaking moments when Claudia sees "red flag" moments but doesn't understand them for what they are, due to a mix of naïveté and overprotectiveness and that self-centered POV that youth have before puberty allows for empathy and perspective. Even worse though, are the ways that so many adults both missed and purposefully ignored those same red flags...and a whole child fell through the cracks, hard, as a result. Like, in how many ways, and by how many people and organizations, were Monday and her siblings failed? Jackson raises important and complex questions about who is ultimately responsible for your well being: your family, community, government, etc., but at the end of the day, the safety nets they should be for each other all failed too. And that is just too real.  
 
Some other really intense content was included as well, which gave a lot of wonderful depth and nuance to the story surrounding the primary "issue" of Monday's disappearance. Considering what I do for a living, and the age of the characters, I really appreciated the way Jackson demonstrated puberty hitting in different ways, and at different times, for everyone. In the 6th-7th grade time on page, they were both clearly in different developmental stages, some due to environmental reasons, but some of it also hormonally. I love that they were given that complexity of consideration. There was a deeply impactful look at the stigma around disability, and how far a kid would go to "protect themselves" and avoid that stigma, even if they have all the best, and open, support from family and others around them. It makes you think about where they get those messages from (peers, media, etc.) that are more powerful than even your close friends/family, and how much work we have to do to counteract how harmful that is. In addition to that (internalized) ableism, there is also quite a bit of homophobic commentary, and an incident of digital sexual harassment that could be tough to read, depending on your personal experiences with that. As one more content warning note, there is an aspect of the story that covers miscarriage, specifically, and something I haven't read much before (perspectivally), the children who would have been siblings, which was really tragic.   
 
There’re a couple other things I want to mention too, that had me reacting strongly, even as they held smaller parts in the overall story. The role that dance played in Claudia’s healing was lovely – art is unique in how it can help overcome and I love the central role it got here. I was particularly frustrated throughout the novel with Claudia’s parents because honestly, for all that they were supportive and caring, I feel like they really dropped some major balls, like getting legit mental health care for the daughter (especially after reading the “twist”) and (while I know it’s a cultural taboo about not getting involved in other families’ business) what little effort they made to follow up on Monday’s situation. I was pretty upset about both those things. The timeline really confused me until very close to the end. And I get it, in regards to Claudia’s “twist,” but also, it was so late that it was actually a lot of effort to go back and try to remember which aspects of the story took place during which of the time periods (it did help explain how some of the things Claudia was doing felt ”too old” for her, as an 8th grader, but still, it was a lot to mentally sort). Speaking of the twist…idk if it was necessary? It was a shocking enough reading experience even without that, in my opinion.  
 
Anyways, this book had so much going on. How Jackson managed to make such a compelling mystery, a “taken from the headlines” crime situation, while also addressing as many social and cultural issues as she did, all in a reasonable-length and accessible YA novel is truly impressive. I was invested from start to finish in Claudia’s voice and narration, as well as the mystery of what had actually happened to Monday. I was horrified and shocked by so many things in the end, but in a great story-telling way. The next time I’m in the mood for a similarly emotionally intense and page-turningly dramatic narrative, I’ll be sure to look for another of Jackson’s works.    
 
“She was my best friend. How could I not believe her? If she was lying, it had to be for a good reason. Right?” 
 
 “It’s hard facing a mirror and seeing all you are made of and all you couldn’t absorb.” 
 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings