This book takes place in 2013 when four different adults find themselves back in their hometown in Ohio after being away for years. I use the term "adult" loosely as my biggest problem with this book is the level of immature thinking from each character. We do not see any growth or development between the high school version of each character and the adult version of each character. These characters are just 30 year high schoolers, who are still allowing their high school experiences to shape their everyday adult lives. They never grew out of that high school mindset.
The story is told in present day with each person taking a turn as our narrator. They visit with parents, old friends, old teachers, etc. During these visits, we learn what these characters have been doing since high school and what made them leave town in the first place. Each person's story interweaves a little bit with the other stories.
I did not like this book. While the author is trying to tackle significant issues of our time - economic recession, drug addiction, and war - the author's message is seen as shallow because it is being delivered by shallow characters. This book is a character study and there is very little by way of plot. The purpose of the present day story line exists so that the main characters can "run into" old people from their past and launch into memories from high school.
I gave this book 2 stars because I was able to find some enjoyment and value from the character study - even if the characters are shallow, immature, and still see life through the eyes of a high schooler. I could not give the book more stars because, honestly, by the end of the book, I just stopped caring about these characters, what they think, and what has happened to them. I would have appreciated the book more if there was a difference in maturity between the high school version of the character and the adult version, but the reality is these characters never changed, never grew. They still process life in the same way they did in high school. I like it when the author delivers the message with subtlety and sophistication, but that is not this.
The story is told in present day with each person taking a turn as our narrator. They visit with parents, old friends, old teachers, etc. During these visits, we learn what these characters have been doing since high school and what made them leave town in the first place. Each person's story interweaves a little bit with the other stories.
I did not like this book. While the author is trying to tackle significant issues of our time - economic recession, drug addiction, and war - the author's message is seen as shallow because it is being delivered by shallow characters. This book is a character study and there is very little by way of plot. The purpose of the present day story line exists so that the main characters can "run into" old people from their past and launch into memories from high school.
I gave this book 2 stars because I was able to find some enjoyment and value from the character study - even if the characters are shallow, immature, and still see life through the eyes of a high schooler. I could not give the book more stars because, honestly, by the end of the book, I just stopped caring about these characters, what they think, and what has happened to them. I would have appreciated the book more if there was a difference in maturity between the high school version of the character and the adult version, but the reality is these characters never changed, never grew. They still process life in the same way they did in high school. I like it when the author delivers the message with subtlety and sophistication, but that is not this.
