Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Review: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen

Publisher: Tundra Books
Pages: 256
Source: Received from Random House of Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: September 11, 2012
Buy From Amazon.ca / Buy From Chapters.ca

Synopsis:

Darker than her previous novels, Susin peoples this novel about the ultimate cost of bullying with a cast of fabulous characters, dark humour, and a lovable, difficult protagonist struggling to come to terms with the horrible crime his brother has committed.

My Review:

This book ended up surprising me in so many different ways. I was expecting to go into a story about bullying, but there was so much more emotion to it. I found that this was so much more than just a little story. It is so hard to put all my thoughts into words (I'll try my best), I can't stop thinking about everything that happens in this book. The book was beautiful and was a quick read, but there were quite a few points that I had to put the book down because I was in tears and couldn't finish the story.

Nielsen definitely has a wonder with her words and writing style. She really captures the thoughts and emotions of her main characters. I absolutely love how she tells her stories. She really knows how to connect her readers to the characters, especially with a book written in journal entries.

I really enjoyed how Nielsen slowly reveals everything that happened and how it affected Henry's family. This is such a tragic story but really shows readers how a family is affected by such a heart breaking event. Nielsen's characters in her stories are so eccentric and fun to get to know. You can't help but love them, amidst all the drama and emotional turmoil, these secondary characters bring a light heartedness to the story.

This is definitely a thought provoking book that I think should be in all school libraries, I think everyone should read this book. It really shows how one event can affect so many different people. Definitely pick this book up and recommend it to everyone you know.

1 comment:

  1. I absolutely loved reading Susin Nielsen's latest book! It was both funny and heartwarming, but also dealt with some serious issues you usually wouldn't expect to find in a book centered around a younger protagonist. I had tears in my eyes at times too. Great review, Andrea!!

    Liz @ Midnight Bloom Reads

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