Scan barcode
A review by brittany_tellefsen
All We Can Do Is Wait by Richard Lawson
2.0
After a bridge in Boston collapses killing and injuring hundreds, a group of teenagers find themselves drawn together in the waiting room of the local hospital as they wait to find out the fate of their loved ones. Throughout this time we learn more about each teen and their history with the loved ones they may lose.
Though I enjoyed this story for the most part, I feel that so much more could have been done with the plot of this book and that it was wasted on a 277 page YA novel.
First, there was far more focus on the teenagers themselves, rather than the victims of the bridge collapse. In order for a story like this, one that involves a tragedy with mass victims, to be effective, you have to care about the victims. Or at the very least, you have to be invested in their relationship to the surviving characters and I did not find that to be the case with this story.
For the most part, we were focusing on each teenagers' own personal drama and in certain instances, it didn't even involve the bridge victims. For example, Jason and Alexa are siblings who are waiting on news of their parents. But instead of focusing on their relationship with those parents, we focus on their relationship with each other as well as some mutual grief they share about a loss in their past.
Now, this might have been okay if I actually cared about these characters but to be honest, I found them often to be unlikable and selfish. I was more interested in their backstories rather then their present day situation.
I feel that this story lacked a great deal of substance for a topic that, in itself, is substantial. It could be because the length of the story was very short and you definitely can't flesh out this type of narrative in that length of time. It could be an age-gap issue because it is targeting young teens. Either way, it did not follow through on the emotional factor that I was expecting.
I will say, that I feel Richard Lawson did a great job of capturing the complexity of grief. How the possibility of losing someone close to you can bring about a range of emotions that isn't just about fear or sadness. It could be relief. Or even, just the selfish "what am I going to do now?" that comes with that loss.
Overall, this was fairly "meh." I can't say that in six months I will remember the story or the characters but it was entertaining during the moment.
Though I enjoyed this story for the most part, I feel that so much more could have been done with the plot of this book and that it was wasted on a 277 page YA novel.
First, there was far more focus on the teenagers themselves, rather than the victims of the bridge collapse. In order for a story like this, one that involves a tragedy with mass victims, to be effective, you have to care about the victims. Or at the very least, you have to be invested in their relationship to the surviving characters and I did not find that to be the case with this story.
For the most part, we were focusing on each teenagers' own personal drama and in certain instances, it didn't even involve the bridge victims. For example, Jason and Alexa are siblings who are waiting on news of their parents. But instead of focusing on their relationship with those parents, we focus on their relationship with each other as well as some mutual grief they share about a loss in their past.
Now, this might have been okay if I actually cared about these characters but to be honest, I found them often to be unlikable and selfish. I was more interested in their backstories rather then their present day situation.
I feel that this story lacked a great deal of substance for a topic that, in itself, is substantial. It could be because the length of the story was very short and you definitely can't flesh out this type of narrative in that length of time. It could be an age-gap issue because it is targeting young teens. Either way, it did not follow through on the emotional factor that I was expecting.
I will say, that I feel Richard Lawson did a great job of capturing the complexity of grief. How the possibility of losing someone close to you can bring about a range of emotions that isn't just about fear or sadness. It could be relief. Or even, just the selfish "what am I going to do now?" that comes with that loss.
Overall, this was fairly "meh." I can't say that in six months I will remember the story or the characters but it was entertaining during the moment.