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A review by sukidookie
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Upon reflection, I have some gripes with this book. Overall, Simon Sort of Says is a good story. The plot was very light-hearted and charismatic. I enjoyed the subtle eclectic small town representation: Grin and Bear It, for example, was the name of the village, and the school was divided into scientists and farmers. I thought some of the scenarios the author cooked up were very cute and fun, like the alpacas getting loose and the astronomers chasing them, or "goat-birthing season." PTSD was depicted exceptionally well through Simon, despite being a little on the nose at times.
Now here's where the gripes come in: Agate did not feel like a real character. I understand that she was supposed to serve as autistic representation, but she fell too hard into the archetype and didn't feel real. She added nothing to the plot, and did nothing for Simon's character, except her representation. I suppose I could say that her literal take on things pushed him to be more comfortable with his trauma, and take it at face value - but it came across as strange to bank Simon's character development on Agate's surface level personality trait instead of having meaningful moral actions between the two characters. (For example, their fight was entirely dependent on Agate not taking context cues, because she's autistic. It wasn't any deeper than that, and it felt inappropriate.) Simon and Kevin's relationship, comparatively, had a lot more dynamics. Still, when they had their resolution, it felt like the author was stepping in and spelling out the moral lesson instead of the characters realizing it on their own. (Simon tells Kevin that doing nothing is worse than anything else).
The prose was also dry. There was a lot of telling, not a lot of showing. There was also something about the author's style that just didn't vibe with me - it's hard to describe, but it was like I was reading a Tumblr post. I could really see the author behind the words instead of getting lost in the story itself. For example, the end was all about stars, and Agate covers Simon in stars … but I don't see the point of this other than there were some astrology themes throughout the book. It's a meaningless symbol that represents nothing.
Something I did like about this book that stuck with me? Near the end, when they're trying to make the microwave radio thing, Simon talks about how he wants to "pull the trigger" and "press the button" that will fake the alien message. Then, once he does this, he says "This time it was me. I pressed the button." Which is obviously another way to say, "This time it was me. I pulled the trigger." What a daring thing to put in a middle grade book. It represents Simon reclaiming ownership of his life and reclaiming his agency. Something horrible happened to him which he had absolutely no control over, and pressing the button on the microwave to imitate an alien message is allowing him to take back some control. I wasn't expecting that, and it hit hard.
Now here's where the gripes come in: Agate did not feel like a real character. I understand that she was supposed to serve as autistic representation, but she fell too hard into the archetype and didn't feel real. She added nothing to the plot, and did nothing for Simon's character, except her representation. I suppose I could say that her literal take on things pushed him to be more comfortable with his trauma, and take it at face value - but it came across as strange to bank Simon's character development on Agate's surface level personality trait instead of having meaningful moral actions between the two characters. (For example, their fight was entirely dependent on Agate not taking context cues, because she's autistic. It wasn't any deeper than that, and it felt inappropriate.) Simon and Kevin's relationship, comparatively, had a lot more dynamics. Still, when they had their resolution, it felt like the author was stepping in and spelling out the moral lesson instead of the characters realizing it on their own. (Simon tells Kevin that doing nothing is worse than anything else).
The prose was also dry. There was a lot of telling, not a lot of showing. There was also something about the author's style that just didn't vibe with me - it's hard to describe, but it was like I was reading a Tumblr post. I could really see the author behind the words instead of getting lost in the story itself. For example, the end was all about stars, and Agate covers Simon in stars … but I don't see the point of this other than there were some astrology themes throughout the book. It's a meaningless symbol that represents nothing.
Something I did like about this book that stuck with me? Near the end, when they're trying to make the microwave radio thing, Simon talks about how he wants to "pull the trigger" and "press the button" that will fake the alien message. Then, once he does this, he says "This time it was me. I pressed the button." Which is obviously another way to say, "This time it was me. I pulled the trigger." What a daring thing to put in a middle grade book. It represents Simon reclaiming ownership of his life and reclaiming his agency. Something horrible happened to him which he had absolutely no control over, and pressing the button on the microwave to imitate an alien message is allowing him to take back some control. I wasn't expecting that, and it hit hard.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Blood