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A review by dinohakari
Back to Center by Joshua Harwood, Ryan Taylor
5.0
A great book! Maybe at times a little sugary, but incredible just the same. I have to say that when I read Cracks in the Ice I knew that Eckie was going to have his own story to tell. And I was right!
Eckie is a complex character, who comes from a religious, toxic and aggressive family, especially his father. Forced to marry and deny his true self, he ends up spiraling into depression where he ends losing his spot on the hockey team and thus his scholarship.
Now, a few months later, we find a different Eckie, more real and willing to recover what was lost. Nearly divorced, with a son he loves and a new friendship where he least expected it, he begins to find his way.
I would have liked to know more about Jack, that is, I didn't feel that he had a personality as deep as Eckie's, but maybe it's because the story is more focused on the evolution of the latter than anything else. And I think Jack had a lot to contribute, with his own experience.
Eckie and his new friendship with Jack begins to change and although once they both express how they really feel, their relationship is not without its obstacles, thanks to Eckie's family.
One thing I would have liked to read is how their friendship began and how Eckie began to change the way he was. It's something we only know in passing, after it's already happened, but I think it would have been interesting to see that change in him.
Overall, it's a sweet story, which leaves us with the teaching of how when one reaches out for help and when there are those who are willing to help, one can overcome whatever lives throw at us, and achieve everything with which that you once dreamed.
I was given an advanced copy and voluntarily wrote a review.
Eckie is a complex character, who comes from a religious, toxic and aggressive family, especially his father. Forced to marry and deny his true self, he ends up spiraling into depression where he ends losing his spot on the hockey team and thus his scholarship.
Now, a few months later, we find a different Eckie, more real and willing to recover what was lost. Nearly divorced, with a son he loves and a new friendship where he least expected it, he begins to find his way.
I would have liked to know more about Jack, that is, I didn't feel that he had a personality as deep as Eckie's, but maybe it's because the story is more focused on the evolution of the latter than anything else. And I think Jack had a lot to contribute, with his own experience.
Eckie and his new friendship with Jack begins to change and although once they both express how they really feel, their relationship is not without its obstacles, thanks to Eckie's family.
One thing I would have liked to read is how their friendship began and how Eckie began to change the way he was. It's something we only know in passing, after it's already happened, but I think it would have been interesting to see that change in him.
Overall, it's a sweet story, which leaves us with the teaching of how when one reaches out for help and when there are those who are willing to help, one can overcome whatever lives throw at us, and achieve everything with which that you once dreamed.
I was given an advanced copy and voluntarily wrote a review.