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“ Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
TeensReadToo.com wrote this review Thursday, November 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
We all have read stories about two siblings who at first get along and then quickly drift apart... with their outcome up to the author. WHAT THEY ALWAYS TELL US has that similar outline; however, Martin Wilson puts his own spin on it and creates a novel more real and even more original than anything else on the shelf currently.
We are introduced to two brothers. First there is James, the older brother who excels in all areas, from academics to athletics. Then there is Alex, who is now considered to be the outsider. Because of an attempted suicide at a party, not only did his friends abandon him but also his brother.
With this incident, James drifts apart from Alex, unsure of what his brother has become. As their life continues, two unlikely people bring them closer together.
First is Henry, the boy next door, who is only ten but has family issues of his own as both parents are hardly there for him. For some odd reason, Alex is drawn to him, wanting to be a guardian toward Henry.
Then there is Nathen, James' friend who notices Alex's interest and potential in running. At first just helping him out, Nathen's bond with Alex turns into something that not even James could have guessed at.
WHAT THEY ALWAYS TELL US is full of heartwarming and breakout scenes that leaves the reader saying one thing: WOW! Certain scenes, such as when Alex confesses his actions and the reconciliation between the brothers, deserve an Oscar for such amazing writing. Martin Wilson develops all four characters in a way that is satisfying, and the chemistry between each of them is so heartfelt.
Words just can't describe how powerful of a read WHAT THEY ALWAYS TELL US is. The only advice I can give you is to pick up the novel and read it (just make sure you have a box of tissues right next to you and an entire free day, because you are not going to want to put this novel down once you start!).”
“This debut novel has some flaws; for example, the story of Henry, the neglected boy across the street, isn't fully integrated into the main narrative. But this is an impressive debut, one is a YA novel only insofar that it's labeled as such; the emotions, the clarity of style and the depth of the two main characters are thoroughly adult, even though they're teen-agers. It's a fast read, and one I would recommend to other adults and mature teens who are mature enough to handle the sexual content. I look forward to Wilson's next work.”
RichLec wrote this review Friday, May 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I started off 2009 with an amazing book. "What They Always Tell Us" by Martin Wilson was a fluke to pick up at the bookstore. The cover drew me to read the jacket blurb from there I was hooked. A coming of age story about two brothers in Alabama. I’m game for that having done the majority of growing up there myself. Then I read the author’s bio and discovered that Wilson also grew up in Tuscaloosa. Well that sealed the deal. In between buying the book and reading it, I also found out via Wilson’s website that he went to Central High School just like I did and that the book was set at in Tuscaloosa and the school.
Jeff wrote this review Wednesday, January 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The book centers on James and Alex Donaldson during most of a school year, opening in November and running through June. For James it’s senior year and he’s stressed about getting into Duke. Alex is a junior and has just returned to school from a suicide attempt where he downed some Pine-Sol at a back-to-school party in September.
The brothers are estranged because of Alex’s “incident” and struggle to find their way back to the closeness they had. Alex also struggles to find his place at school. His friends shun him and he’s become mostly invisible. It all changes though one day while he’s out for a run and passes Nathen, a friend of James’. Nathen was always nice to Alex, but now reaches out to him as a friend and encourages him to try out for the school’s cross country track team. Over the months of training, Alex and Nathen draw closer together, ultimately becoming secret boyfriends.
There’s an interesting subplot here too with a boy and his single mom who live across the street from the Donaldsons. The neighborhood is full of gossip about where she’s come from, how she can afford that house and who exactly visits under cover of darkness. While both brothers befriend the boy, the mystery around their neighbor is the first thing that helps bring them back together.
Reading this brought on a major case of déjà vu for me. Wilson set the book in the Central High of my high school years, before it was torn down and rebuilt a few years ago. I knew every bit of the school that he talked about, right down the uncomfortable seats in the cafeteria. The same goes for the Tuscaloosa setting. The LaQuinta Inn in the first chapter, the layout of the subdivisions around the golf course, the Burger King everyone hung out around, the University’s rec center, the “older mall, the one with no good stores in it anymore,” and the Cypress Inn restaurant.
The other thing than the book brought to mind was that I felt a lot like Alex did. This is how Alex recalls the choice to drink the Pine-sol: “He remembers being in the bathroom, feeling a tremendous ache. It was an ache that had spread through his body that summer, growing and growing. It was an ache of emptiness. Something was missing. Something that other people seemed to have without even realizing they had it. Alex couldn’t bear a future if it meant living with this feeling, day in and day out. He didn’t think the ache would ever go away.” I remember that ache. It started in high school and grew in my early college time before I got rid of it. I didn’t go as far as Alex did, but I do remember the feeling and the book captures it eloquently.
One other note about this book that has nothing to do with plot. Wilson gives an acknowledgment to Janice Winokur listing her as one of the teachers who “inspired and nourished my love for the written word.” I had Mrs. Winkour for English in the 10th grade. She honed my love for writing. She gave me my love of Shakespeare (I still remember going on a field trip to see Comedy of Errors) . She encouraged me to join the school paper. She was a teacher that made a difference.
This is Wilson’s first novel and I look forward to reading whatever is next from him. I’d really love to see a sequel to this because I’d like know see what James, Alex and Nathen are up to.”
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