was a gripping read, As soon as I started I just had to finish it,
Simon is a stay at home dad to his two kids Jake and Laney, When he gets a text saying there is a shooting at his kids school his world is torn apart.
We read this story through Simons point of view with alternating chapters going back and forth from past to present.
We read of the turmoil Simon goes through with his insecurities about rearing his son,
There is so much more to this story, I'm really glad I didn't read any spoilers so the twists weren't predictable,
If I had one complaint it would be that I didn't really connect with Rachel.
Having said that this was a really great well written psychological suspenseful story, Well done to the author on his debut novel, Disclaimer: I was provided an ARC of this book for review from the publisher,
We Need To Talk About Kevin was one of
my favorite books of the last few years.
It is one of those books that is powerful and gripping and terrifying all because of the fact that it is so realistic.
I loved it and thought it was brilliant, so the recent spate of whatkindofchilddidyouraise books are coming as no surprise to me.
And for the first quarter of this book, I will admit that it did feel like We Need To Talk About Kevin lite.
We learn that something very bad has happened, and that a teen was involved, then meet the parent who has mostly had the responsibility of daytoday care, and from the parent's perspective, we go back to the early days and see just how we got to where we are today.
But from there, things veer off into a different direction,
In a way, I think that both books are more about parenting than about the actual tragedy that was the catalyst for the examination.
I am not a parent, but I imagine that it's got to be one of the most terrifying things ever.
You hold the shaping of a person's life in your hands, and what you do with it can have the most unexpected consequences.
. . or maybe none at all,
I think that Reardon did a good job showing the psyche of a parent who recognizes this, and who tries hard to shape and mold with that thought in mind.
"If I let him down, will it cause a wrinkle that could grow into something important" Or "I taught this lesson, but the application of it was taken in a direction that I didn't see and am a bit afraid of.
. . but I can't back down now, because THAT might cause a wrinkle, . . " It's like a reallife game of Minesweeper where every move is OK at the time, but causes a chain reaction you'll never see coming later on.
I also was really interested in the witchhunt aspects of the story, and thought that this was handled pretty well also.
It goes to show that when people are grieving and scared, anything can be sinister, and people will grasp at any sort of explanation as to why something terrible has happened.
We need to know what the monster looks like, or at least what it wants, so we can steer clear and delude ourselves that we're safe.
The way that people twisted introversion into being a murderer is chilling to me, because there's a real stigma surrounding introversion, as though it's essentially the same thing as psychosis.
You're quiet, you're a loner, you're different, . . you're scary.
So there were a lot of things that I liked about this, but there were other things that I had some issues with.
I feel like this book was a little short for the subject matter, and I wish that it'd been fleshed out a bit more.
I wanted to know more about Doug, and his family, I wanted to see more of Jake's teen years, the ones leading up to the event, rather than so much of his younger years.
And I feel like, despite Simon's lack of confidence in his son, I was pretty sure that I knew what really happened that day, and I was right.
I figured it out a little before the midpoint of the book, and all that was left was to keep reading to see if I was right.
I usually dislike guessing things like this, and want mysteries to string me along better and for the ruining of that suspense, I partially blame the blurb on the back cover which I'd tried to avoid and failed for mentioning that it was a "heartwrenching yet ultimately uplifting" novel.
Now, that could actually mean lots of things, but I made the assumption about why it would be said about this book, and I was right.
But I can't put all of the blame on the blurb, because Simon's memories shed quite a lot of light on how Jake was raised, and, as an introvert myself, I recognized a lot of the suspicious traits, and know how they could be interpreted.
So, in that way, it felt a bit predictable, but I think that the societal issues raised more than make up for it.
I just kind of wish it wasn't touted as a suspense novel when it seemed clear where it was actually going.
So, overall, this was a pretty good book, and the fact that I wanted more of it is a pretty good endorsement.
I'd like to see a cleaned up edition, because there were some errors and, . . interesting phrasings that I hope don't make it into the final copy, But I can definitely see myself recommending this book to others, It's a quick read, and interesting on many levels, and hopefully makes us think not only about how we'll shape the lives of those around us, but how we judge their actions as well.
Perfect for Father's day! FINDING JAKE by Bryan Reardon is a compelling and heartfelt tragedy A psychological intense suspense, keeping you pageturning to learn the fate of a teenage son.
Simon Connelly is a freelance writer, and a devoted uppermiddleclass suburban stay at home dad to his son, Jake and his daughter Laney, while his wife, Rachel is busy with her legal career.
Presently, the kids are teens, Laney, outgoing and Jake, introverted, They have weathered the storms of typical teenagers, until one day a text comes A school shooting, which changes this familys entire world.
A high school shooting, leaving thirteen people dead, and a gunman, Doug taking his own life, and a second student, Jake who happened to be friends with the gunman.
Jake has disappeared, so the question is where is, Jake did he have anything to do with the shooting
Flashing back and forth from the present, the six days aftermath of the shooting, and the past bringing insights into the raw emotions and intimate feelings of this frantic family.
Do we know our children and their friends and can a parent control their every move
Typical after a school shooting or tragedy, the media and community begin pointing blame, the victims they must find Jake.
A nightmare, and a parent secondguessing his abilities as a parent, What happened the day of the shooting and what led up to this event
Told from an insecure and secondguessing father Simon, he continues to agonize and search for answers he fears for his son and his choice of friends.
His wife is more of a colder personality and somewhat removed and not a likable character, The daughter, on the other hand, was a softer personality, and Jake more removed and introverted,
FINDING JAKE a short, thoughtprovoking and absorbing book about parenting and an excellent book club choice to explore different perspectives.
An intense and suspenseful read an up close and personal look into the world of parentingof love, fear, pain, courage, and healing a surprising shattering conclusion.
For me, the best part was in the storytelling about the child rearing and the earlier days, a time when there is innocence before children are subjected to the peer pressure and evils of this world.
The most pressing issues facing parents today,
Look forward to reading more from this author, sitelink Huffington Post Article
sitelink JDCMustReadBooks
Highly Anticipated, Coming June,: In a new novel from New York Times bestselling author Bryan Reardon, a suburban family is rocked in the wake of a terrorist attack on American soil.
sitelinkThe Real Michael Swann,
MAJOR FILM ADAPTATION: The Real Michael Swann has been picked up for feature film, with Jason Blum Get Out and Split producing and Julia Roberts to coproduce and star.
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