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A review by jdbracknell
He Forgot to Say Goodbye by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
3.0
Both of the narrators here have interesting parallel stories to tell about family distance and abandonment. Jake’s misanthropic nature appealed to me immediately and he’s a nice contrast for Ram, who thinks himself uncool, Jake convinced he’s not a good person and Ram convinced he’s failed his troubled brother. However it takes so long for them to meet, by the time they do, there’s little chance for them to really impact each other’s lives, other than Ram introducing Jake to Alejandra.
Speaking of, would have been interesting to hear from Alejandra in her own POV since she’s also missing a mother and comes to be pivotal, but we only see her from the outside, where she’s deified by Jake and demonised (at least at first) by Ram. It felt like a missed opportunity.
Always love the way Benjamin describes places, El Paso and its surroundings really pop out of the backdrop, and as usual there are passages which are so brilliant they make you catch your breath.
Speaking of, would have been interesting to hear from Alejandra in her own POV since she’s also missing a mother and comes to be pivotal, but we only see her from the outside, where she’s deified by Jake and demonised (at least at first) by Ram. It felt like a missed opportunity.
Always love the way Benjamin describes places, El Paso and its surroundings really pop out of the backdrop, and as usual there are passages which are so brilliant they make you catch your breath.