Writing Your Life Away
Hello all! It's finally summer vacation, so I can get a load of reading done. This weekend I read a book that was actually recommended to me by my sister. Thanks for the Trouble by Tommy Wallach was a surprising and heartfelt read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Our main character is a high school senior named Parker Santé. He's been mute since his father died, and uses a mixture of sign language and writing in a notebook to communicate. Hanging out in a swanky hotel one day, he encounters a girl of indeterminate age with silver hair and an extremely large wad of cash. Parker attempts to steal this rather obscene amount of money, but instead gets roped into a deal with the silver-haired girl, whom he learns goes by the name Zelda. (Like Fitzgerald, not the video game.)
Throughout the next three days, from October 31 to November 2, Parker and Zelda get into some insane hijinks. There are parties, fistfights, chess matches, alcohol, beaches, museums, hospitals, and more. They seem to explore the entirety of San Francisco, where the book takes place. As they go on this adventure, Parker learns things about Zelda that he can barely believe and that seem too extraordinary to be true. But what if it all is true?
I honestly really enjoyed this book. It has short chapters with descriptive, witty chapter titles, which I always love. It's written in first person, from Parker's POV, so we get to know what's going on inside his head during all of the ups and downs of the story. The vocabulary used is also excellent- Parker considers himself a writer, so it fits and doesn't make him sound pretentious, but rather like an author who knows his craft and material. Wallach himself is obviously talented, to be able to create another author and such nuanced characters on the page.
This book made me laugh and nearly cry. It tugs at your heartstrings while also making you ponder your own life and the choices you make. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a story full of surprises, wanderlust, hope, and second chances.
Our main character is a high school senior named Parker Santé. He's been mute since his father died, and uses a mixture of sign language and writing in a notebook to communicate. Hanging out in a swanky hotel one day, he encounters a girl of indeterminate age with silver hair and an extremely large wad of cash. Parker attempts to steal this rather obscene amount of money, but instead gets roped into a deal with the silver-haired girl, whom he learns goes by the name Zelda. (Like Fitzgerald, not the video game.)
Throughout the next three days, from October 31 to November 2, Parker and Zelda get into some insane hijinks. There are parties, fistfights, chess matches, alcohol, beaches, museums, hospitals, and more. They seem to explore the entirety of San Francisco, where the book takes place. As they go on this adventure, Parker learns things about Zelda that he can barely believe and that seem too extraordinary to be true. But what if it all is true?
I honestly really enjoyed this book. It has short chapters with descriptive, witty chapter titles, which I always love. It's written in first person, from Parker's POV, so we get to know what's going on inside his head during all of the ups and downs of the story. The vocabulary used is also excellent- Parker considers himself a writer, so it fits and doesn't make him sound pretentious, but rather like an author who knows his craft and material. Wallach himself is obviously talented, to be able to create another author and such nuanced characters on the page.
This book made me laugh and nearly cry. It tugs at your heartstrings while also making you ponder your own life and the choices you make. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a story full of surprises, wanderlust, hope, and second chances.
(picture courtesy of books.simonandschuster.com)
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