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A review by christajls
See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
4.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
General advisory: Do not read this book in public. Doing so will result in public displays of sniffling, escaping tears and general bouts of despair. You will be able to cope much better from the comfort of your own home.
Now I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. This is not an all out depressing book. It’s an inspiring and touching story about family and grief, so of course it’s emotional. But it also encouraging and hopeful. It’s everything you would want a book about these themes to be.
See You At Harry’s does a fantastic job exploring the family dynamic. It’s all told from Fern’s perspective but we get to explore the family from all angles. Fern and her older and younger siblings, siblings with parents, parents with one another. I liked that we saw this family at their best and worst. They felt so real I think they could have been anyone’s family. Sometimes they were strong, and they worked together, but sometimes they were quite cruel to one another. I thought this was a really honest account of how a family would deal with tragedy and I really appreciated that Jo Knowles touched on such a delicate topic.
Similarly, I really liked how realistic the reactions to Holden’s coming out (or pre-coming out) were. There was such a huge variety of reactions/opinions. Some were accepting right away, where as others were more resistant. It showed how even in a more welcoming environment, coming out can be a really difficult, and nerve wrecking experience and I loved how patient and supportive Fern was with Holden through it all.
See You At Harry’s is a really quick read. I flew through this book. Once you start reading it you’ll find yourself so wrapped up in the story you won’t be able to put it down. I liked that it was this compelling but I was also sad that it was over so quickly. Makes the whole experience kind of bittersweet.
Recommendation: An incredibly moving story of grief, family and forgiveness, that will almost certainly make you cry. But it absolutely worth it. (Be sure to have something happy lined up to read afterwards to cheer you up.)
General advisory: Do not read this book in public. Doing so will result in public displays of sniffling, escaping tears and general bouts of despair. You will be able to cope much better from the comfort of your own home.
Now I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. This is not an all out depressing book. It’s an inspiring and touching story about family and grief, so of course it’s emotional. But it also encouraging and hopeful. It’s everything you would want a book about these themes to be.
See You At Harry’s does a fantastic job exploring the family dynamic. It’s all told from Fern’s perspective but we get to explore the family from all angles. Fern and her older and younger siblings, siblings with parents, parents with one another. I liked that we saw this family at their best and worst. They felt so real I think they could have been anyone’s family. Sometimes they were strong, and they worked together, but sometimes they were quite cruel to one another. I thought this was a really honest account of how a family would deal with tragedy and I really appreciated that Jo Knowles touched on such a delicate topic.
Similarly, I really liked how realistic the reactions to Holden’s coming out (or pre-coming out) were. There was such a huge variety of reactions/opinions. Some were accepting right away, where as others were more resistant. It showed how even in a more welcoming environment, coming out can be a really difficult, and nerve wrecking experience and I loved how patient and supportive Fern was with Holden through it all.
See You At Harry’s is a really quick read. I flew through this book. Once you start reading it you’ll find yourself so wrapped up in the story you won’t be able to put it down. I liked that it was this compelling but I was also sad that it was over so quickly. Makes the whole experience kind of bittersweet.
Recommendation: An incredibly moving story of grief, family and forgiveness, that will almost certainly make you cry. But it absolutely worth it. (Be sure to have something happy lined up to read afterwards to cheer you up.)