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A review by nairam1173
Simon Sort of Says by Will Collyer, Erin Bow
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I wish I hadn't lost the momentum of reading this by my audiobook loan ending and it taking awhile for me to get to the physical book for the final 30 or so pages--this was extremely well done, and I wish I had cohesive Thoughts for a review. One thing that occurred to me is that very fancy Newbery medal criteria term "delineation of characters."
Everyone in this story has their own life and issues outside of their relationship to Simon. You could believe these people had their own goals and were off doing their own things. I especially loved his mom and dad--flawed, but earnest and engaged and believable as human beings. It was also really cool to see a Christian (Simon's dad is Catholic, with Simon seeming somewhere in the middle) character portrayed where Christianity is just a part of their life, and something that interacts with the other things they are dealing with, and it is allowed to have both personal depth and jokes.The whole Jesus-squirrel subplot was SO FUNNY to me. There not needing to be a particular Point to his dad's religion beyond the fact that it is something that is part of his life was refreshing.
Also, of course, a moving and honest portrayal of trauma--I especially liked the little details like how often Simon does on-page coping mechanisms like breathing exercises. That kind of representation--and EXAMPLE--was really special to me.
Occasionally Agate seemed a little Too Perfect as a friend, but as someone writing about a traumatizing person myself, I get this impulse--we want our main character to have someone who is tuned in and almost always makes the right choices. There's one major event that goes wrong, but it is actually Simon who takes most of the blame for it. That said, I also loved Agate, as she is also a well-developed character. So it's something I can forgive--a kind gentleness to the story.
One last disconnected note, Simon's narrative voice is authentic and engaging. The overall understanding of this book that people who have traumatic experiences DO forever deal with those experiences, but they also have entire other parts of their lives, and friends, and humor, is exactly the kind of mental health fiction we need.
Then to, there's the whole commentary on the media spectacle involved in tragedy and how it can just make everything worse. And how the traumatic experience of one person WILL effect those who love them in other, traumatic ways, even if it wasn't "their" trauma. Again, just really appreciated the extreme humanization of Simon's parents and the fact that they also went through something.
There's just a lot to this book. Extremely solid. I, for once, get the hype.
Everyone in this story has their own life and issues outside of their relationship to Simon. You could believe these people had their own goals and were off doing their own things. I especially loved his mom and dad--flawed, but earnest and engaged and believable as human beings. It was also really cool to see a Christian (Simon's dad is Catholic, with Simon seeming somewhere in the middle) character portrayed where Christianity is just a part of their life, and something that interacts with the other things they are dealing with, and it is allowed to have both personal depth and jokes.
Also, of course, a moving and honest portrayal of trauma--I especially liked the little details like how often Simon does on-page coping mechanisms like breathing exercises. That kind of representation--and EXAMPLE--was really special to me.
Occasionally Agate seemed a little Too Perfect as a friend, but as someone writing about a traumatizing person myself, I get this impulse--we want our main character to have someone who is tuned in and almost always makes the right choices. There's one major event that goes wrong, but it is actually Simon who takes most of the blame for it. That said, I also loved Agate, as she is also a well-developed character. So it's something I can forgive--a kind gentleness to the story.
One last disconnected note, Simon's narrative voice is authentic and engaging. The overall understanding of this book that people who have traumatic experiences DO forever deal with those experiences, but they also have entire other parts of their lives, and friends, and humor, is exactly the kind of mental health fiction we need.
Then to, there's the whole commentary on the media spectacle involved in tragedy and how it can just make everything worse. And how the traumatic experience of one person WILL effect those who love them in other, traumatic ways, even if it wasn't "their" trauma. Again, just really appreciated the extreme humanization of Simon's parents and the fact that they also went through something.
There's just a lot to this book. Extremely solid. I, for once, get the hype.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, and Mass/school shootings