Cons: Mm, not
really.
The Bottom Line:
It's a story about a ghost, but it's not a murder mystery. It's a story about
dying, but it’s actually about living. It's weird, but in a good way.
While participating in a book club, our host also threw out
the occasional "dare" book - a little something extra to read between
book club sessions. Shadowbridge by
Gregory Frost was one of them. Another month it was Libyrinth by Pearl North. But last month it was this book, One for Sorrow. It sounded quite
interesting to me, so I resolved to read it, even if I didn't get to it within
the dare time frame.
Adam McCormick is fifteen, his home life isn't that great,
and overall things are just "meh." When a boy from school, Jamie
Marks, is found murdered, Adam realizes he can see Jamie's ghost. All Jamie
needs is a friend. Adam knows what it's like to be unwanted and on your own, so
he does what he can for Jamie. But that may mean dying, something Adam isn't at
all concerned about. But will that really help Jamie? And is Adam dying for
Jamie or for himself?
It's a hard book to summarize, really, though I think the
back of the book does a better job than myself. Ha. It's a good story, one that
keeps you engaged and one that is really weird in a lot of ways, though all of
them good. I didn't want to put the book down, and even when I did, I was
always surprised at how far in the book I wasn't.
Like I was chugging right along and somehow not making progress. That's not a
bad thing, it was just odd. Chalk it up to the subject matter of the book I
guess.
Even though Jamie is murdered and his ghost is still
lingering around, don't think that this is a murder mystery. This story is
about Adam and the things he does. The things he feels, the things he thinks,
and what he decides. He's a very interesting character and I was hooked on
following him around as he made his way toward dying. There are some questions
in this book that you may not have answered (or were they? You might not even
be sure about that), such as why it was Adam decided to die or my question,
what was it that made him decide to stay? Don't worry, I'm not ruining
anything, it's pretty hard to ruin this book in any fashion because it's just
so off the wall. It's nothing you'd expect.
And that's another thing that gives this book high marks. The
author, Christopher Barzak, comes up with some cool ideas like closets leading
into Dead Space, the strange things that linger in that space, and things that
they want, and all the little things that Adam's grandmother used to say and do
that turn out to be pretty much on the button. A lot of the things that
frustrate Adam will frustrate you as well, so you'll be able to sympathize with
him in a lot of the things that he does, whereas others you'll just wonder
about some of his thought processes and decisions.
There are some odd moments in here where you might wonder,
"Is Adam gay?" Indeed, I had that question a few times as well, but I
almost want to say no, feeling more like he saw Jamie as a kind of extension of
himself which is why certain things were okay. That's not to imply that there's
a bunch of homosexuality in this book. Certainly not. Rather, whatever Adam and
Jamie experience feels normal, natural. It's just another weird thing about
this book that really works. And then of course, there's Grace, the girl that
Adam really connects with in more ways than one.
It's strange, almost surreal, but at the same time it all makes
perfect sense. It's a great book to read if you're in the mood for a ghost
story in spring. At the same time, it's also good for being thankful. It's an
odd duck, but I say give it a shot and see where it takes you.
Notes from the playlist: "Waiting Game" by Banks
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