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A review by heykellyjensen
A Certain October by Angela Johnson
2.0
This tightly written and subtle novel explores grief and loss. It's a quieter story that follows Scotty as she deals with losing a guy who was once her friend due to a small choice she believes she forced him into. Likewise, Scotty deals with her autistic brother's long-term hospital stay as a result of the same accident.
It's a sad story, but the way Scotty deals with death is through appreciating the little things going on in her life. She takes steps forward, but once in a while is knocked back into the grief.
While I think this is a realistic and accomplished story, I never connected with Scotty nor any of her friends. I found
Johnson's books aren't for reluctant readers, even though they're short. It's more for those readers who want a slower, more nuanced novel.
It's a sad story, but the way Scotty deals with death is through appreciating the little things going on in her life. She takes steps forward, but once in a while is knocked back into the grief.
While I think this is a realistic and accomplished story, I never connected with Scotty nor any of her friends. I found
Spoiler
her self-blame to be a little over the top. It was a tiny choice made on the part of Kris and not herself that caused his death -- it was all a matter of circumstance. She couldn't have predicted he'd skip his train storm nor that the train would have an accident afterward. It's realistic she'd carry guilt, but it didn't carry the whole story for me.Johnson's books aren't for reluctant readers, even though they're short. It's more for those readers who want a slower, more nuanced novel.