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A review by lattelibrarian
Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
5.0
My coworker: Hey, this is a heavy book, don't read it before bed.
Me: Ooh, okay, gotcha.
Me, at 10 pm: /finishes the entire book
This was a book I didn't expect to absolutely love. It's filled with unfamiliar territory for me, such as boy main characters, rehabilitation centers, addiction. And yet the unfamiliar was made familiar the more that Zach dealt with and learned to understand his emotions. This is just a hugely touching, shocking, tormented, lovable book. How can it be all those things at once? I'm not sure, but it is.
In this rehabilitation center, there are other addictions that others face, there are roommates, counselors, therapists, friends. There's pain and sadness and anger, but there's also peace, adjustment, forgiveness. People leave when they feel ready. People leave because they don't feel ready. Hellos and goodbyes are equally heartbreaking. But oh, my god, will this book tear you apart. The first few chapters left me in a state of shock. The rest of the book had me sobbing in bed.
The slow reveal to Zach's past appeared to me to be incredibly well done--the not wanting to remember to finally being ready enough to confront the past, the reason why he was found drunk, passed out on the side of the road, why he's afraid to ever ask about his family, why some things make him dissociate. And the friends he makes along the way, Adam, Sharkey, and Rafael--RAFAEL, WE MUST TALK ABOUT HIM. I love him so, so much. Not all men--you're right, Rafael would NEVER. He is too sweet, caring, kind to ever let anything bad happen. I feel conflicted calling him a perfect man, given spoiler reasons, but he is truly one unforgettable character.
Last Night I Sang to the Monster is really something else. It's along the lines of It's Kind of a Funny Story by Vizzini, but with a much different tone. If you're looking for a book that will completely wreck you, this is it.
Review cross-listed here!
Me: Ooh, okay, gotcha.
Me, at 10 pm: /finishes the entire book
This was a book I didn't expect to absolutely love. It's filled with unfamiliar territory for me, such as boy main characters, rehabilitation centers, addiction. And yet the unfamiliar was made familiar the more that Zach dealt with and learned to understand his emotions. This is just a hugely touching, shocking, tormented, lovable book. How can it be all those things at once? I'm not sure, but it is.
In this rehabilitation center, there are other addictions that others face, there are roommates, counselors, therapists, friends. There's pain and sadness and anger, but there's also peace, adjustment, forgiveness. People leave when they feel ready. People leave because they don't feel ready. Hellos and goodbyes are equally heartbreaking. But oh, my god, will this book tear you apart. The first few chapters left me in a state of shock. The rest of the book had me sobbing in bed.
The slow reveal to Zach's past appeared to me to be incredibly well done--the not wanting to remember to finally being ready enough to confront the past, the reason why he was found drunk, passed out on the side of the road, why he's afraid to ever ask about his family, why some things make him dissociate. And the friends he makes along the way, Adam, Sharkey, and Rafael--RAFAEL, WE MUST TALK ABOUT HIM. I love him so, so much. Not all men--you're right, Rafael would NEVER. He is too sweet, caring, kind to ever let anything bad happen. I feel conflicted calling him a perfect man, given spoiler reasons, but he is truly one unforgettable character.
Last Night I Sang to the Monster is really something else. It's along the lines of It's Kind of a Funny Story by Vizzini, but with a much different tone. If you're looking for a book that will completely wreck you, this is it.
Review cross-listed here!