With his critically acclaimed Among the Missing and Fitting Ends, award-winning author Dan Chaon proved himself a master of the short...
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Dec 19, 2011
Nate
rated it: 
SPOILERS AHOY HOY!
My thoughts on Dan Chaon's story of two half brothers that find each other in dire circumstances midway through their twenties has a lot to say about the What If's of life. And his conclusion seems to say that regardless of our childhoods we become what we're intended to become - a bad mother, a kidnapper, a good bartender, a commercial artist. Putting it a different way, a good upbringing does not a good life make. Chaon also writes a lot about patterns, especially More...
My thoughts on Dan Chaon's story of two half brothers that find each other in dire circumstances midway through their twenties has a lot to say about the What If's of life. And his conclusion seems to say that regardless of our childhoods we become what we're intended to become - a bad mother, a kidnapper, a good bartender, a commercial artist. Putting it a different way, a good upbringing does not a good life make. Chaon also writes a lot about patterns, especially More...
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Jan 02, 2009
Alison
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I was disappointed with this book, possibly because I had such high expectations. I love the idea of seemingly random strangers being connected together through space and time. I liked the non-linear manner in which the story was told. However, I found myself disliking all of the characters. Their individual situations seemed very real and the comparison of two brothers' backgrounds and the way they turn out was yet another interesting technique. It's also very clear how they turned into th
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Sep 30, 2008
Brent
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When I grow up one day as a writer, I want my writing to be like Dan Chaon's. This is his debut novel after many years of writing short stories. The craft of short story writing comes through in every sentence of this novel - rich, evocative imagery punches through some of the most economic sentences and paragraphs; characters are compelling, dynamic and fully explored; drama hits forcefully and emotionally.
I took plenty of time to read this book, treating it as if it were the litera More...
I took plenty of time to read this book, treating it as if it were the litera More...
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Feb 21, 2008
Gabriel
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I read this book when it had just come out in hardcover. I'm pretty sure it was during the summer, maybe right after high school, I had nothing to do and was feeling miserable, and I would go for walks to get out of my parents house, usually landing in the barnes & noble nearby, where I'd sit in the cool and read new fiction at random. I picked this book out because i liked the cover art or the title and wound up reading the whole thing in the store over the course of a couple of weeks (my mot
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May 27, 2008
Shannon
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I have to say, right off the bat, that I have never skimmed bits as much as I did in this book. I usually like to read every single word, but I got so impatient with this that I kinda skipped a sentence here, skimmed a paragraph there, all in the hope of reaching the end faster.
And not because I felt like I was running out of time because I had a bookclub meeting for it. It was simply due to a small amount of boredom and a nagging impatience with the characters.
Jonah liv More...
And not because I felt like I was running out of time because I had a bookclub meeting for it. It was simply due to a small amount of boredom and a nagging impatience with the characters.
Jonah liv More...
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Aug 29, 2007
Patti
rated it:
Ok, so now that I've said anyone who likes John Irving should read this, some John Irving fanatic may accost me. He is not John Irving, but Dan Chaon's style and mood are very similar. I picked this book up to get inside the mind of more gritty, lower-middle class characters for a monologue I was working on and was surprised at how engaging it was. A lot of the reviews say they found it depressing, but I'm twisted, so it just leaves me glad I'm not like the people in the book. And I guess I
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Aug 06, 2007
Missy
rated it:
My picky husband really enjoyed it. He said it would be a good book club read- so I read it too.
This was an interesting read. The book is written from the perspective of 3 people and over 3 different time periods. At first I wished I had been writing out my own timeline to reference when the story hopped along. The book has 2 protagonists who make poor choices. There were sections of the book where I was not rooting for anyone and I felt that loss. At times I wondered, "So why More...
This was an interesting read. The book is written from the perspective of 3 people and over 3 different time periods. At first I wished I had been writing out my own timeline to reference when the story hopped along. The book has 2 protagonists who make poor choices. There were sections of the book where I was not rooting for anyone and I felt that loss. At times I wondered, "So why More...
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Jul 16, 2008
Kristi
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This book left a huge impression on me for several reasons. First, the language was crafted beautifully. Chaon could write a novel about someone sitting and picking their nose, and he would make the language so extraordinary that you would be glued to your seat and in tears by the end. Second, this books makes you think. The characters are very real; they are unsure about their goals, and despite their good intentions they mess up a lot. Their mistakes and the consequences they deal with ma
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Jan 13, 2008
Betony
rated it:
based on a short story published in harper's magazine (how many great books have had similar origins?), dan chaon's first novel is a nuanced and detailed story of three lives in varying stages of redemption. a teenaged mother sent away to wait out her pregnancy, a man deformed in boyhood by a vicious dog, and an out-of-luck loser who continues to fall into the same traps of drugs, alcohol, and irresponsibity-- all whose stories are woven beautifully. the focus of this novel is character, and c
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Feb 17, 2009
Barb
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What if?
If his mother had gotten treatment for her mental illness, his life would have been different, he would have made different choices, had different relationships with the people in his life and this would have been a different story...
This is the 'what if?' book. What if the parents had been more careful about their bad habits? What if the teenage mother had kept her first child? What if she had stayed with her stable boyfriend? There were many 'what if's? to ask More...
If his mother had gotten treatment for her mental illness, his life would have been different, he would have made different choices, had different relationships with the people in his life and this would have been a different story...
This is the 'what if?' book. What if the parents had been more careful about their bad habits? What if the teenage mother had kept her first child? What if she had stayed with her stable boyfriend? There were many 'what if's? to ask More...
Feb 11, 2009
At the beginning, the chapters are quite fragmented from one another and it’s a rather choppy writing style. But that gives this read a unique format. As the book progresses, the characters in the various chapters are weaved together to form a more complete picture, as it seems happens in real life.
In an interview with the author at the end of the book, Dan wonders how much is our development by ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’. He questioned this when he had developed a relationship with More...
In an interview with the author at the end of the book, Dan wonders how much is our development by ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’. He questioned this when he had developed a relationship with More...
Jun 26, 2011
Several people, across several midwestern states (those that you shudder to think people actually live in - St. Bonaventure, Nebraska, or Little Bow, South Dakota), are linked - by the same birth mom. The characters, and their actions are real, mundane, and sad.
Nora gave birth to a baby at the Mrs. Glass House when she was 16 years old. She didn't even get to see her baby, before it was whisked away and sent through the adoption process. She is forever plagued by this, and hangs More...
Nora gave birth to a baby at the Mrs. Glass House when she was 16 years old. She didn't even get to see her baby, before it was whisked away and sent through the adoption process. She is forever plagued by this, and hangs More...
Dec 17, 2010
Maya
rated it:
Yeek. This is one of those books I truly don't know how to rate. If I'm rating the book itself, I think it's a four-star book, no question (beautifully written, intricately woven plot, etc.). But my experience reading it wasn't what I would call fully enjoyable (though for reasons that I'm reluctant to count against it).
Dan Chaon seems to be drawn to gritty, depressing worlds. Think small Nebraskan town where people get into drugs and make decisions that it's hard to watch them make. More...
Dan Chaon seems to be drawn to gritty, depressing worlds. Think small Nebraskan town where people get into drugs and make decisions that it's hard to watch them make. More...
May 25, 2010
Cv
rated it:
What I need out of a novel is characters I can relate to - care about - and situations that engage me as a reader, caring for the welfare of characters for whom I have an emotional attachment. This story of two brothers separated by an adoption didn't provide that for me. I didn't care about either one of the main characters and I didn't care about their poor choices which put them in life's loser column. It wasn't unfortunate circumstances that made them victims, it was lying, dealing, drugs
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Feb 26, 2010
Elaine
rated it:
This is a masterpiece! Chaon ranks with the very top of 21st century authors. His phrasing is felieitous and elegant. His plotting brilliant. The way he allows his stories to unfold, riveting.
This book is about choices and if's. If someone had made a different choice, then what? They made a choice and what other choices do they then make and what happens to their lives and someone else's? Oh, this has been argued and reargued in philosophy and even psychology. Is it nature or nurt More...
This book is about choices and if's. If someone had made a different choice, then what? They made a choice and what other choices do they then make and what happens to their lives and someone else's? Oh, this has been argued and reargued in philosophy and even psychology. Is it nature or nurt More...
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Jan 10, 2010
Aban (Aby)
rated it:
Wow, what a great book! My thanks to Doreen for lending it to me.
For me, the book got off to a slow start, partly bacause I was travelling while reading it (and couldn't read it for any length of time)and partly becuase of the nature of the book (it moves between characters and times). There was - to begin with - no obvious connection between the characters. However, I was patient as I knew they would all come together eventually, and they did. Once they did, I couldn't put the book More...
For me, the book got off to a slow start, partly bacause I was travelling while reading it (and couldn't read it for any length of time)and partly becuase of the nature of the book (it moves between characters and times). There was - to begin with - no obvious connection between the characters. However, I was patient as I knew they would all come together eventually, and they did. Once they did, I couldn't put the book More...
Aug 12, 2009
Dina
rated it:
Credit to Shannon for my review. I copied and pasted her review, deleting the parts that didn't apply to my opinion. Why reinvent the wheel?
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Anti-climactic and meandering...
I have never skimmed bits as much as I did in this book. I usually like to read every single word, but I got so impatient with this that I skipped a sentence here, skimmed a paragraph there, all in the hope of reaching the e More...
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Anti-climactic and meandering...
I have never skimmed bits as much as I did in this book. I usually like to read every single word, but I got so impatient with this that I skipped a sentence here, skimmed a paragraph there, all in the hope of reaching the e More...
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Jun 19, 2009
Gabby
rated it:
When I found out that I'd won a copy of the new book Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon I also discovered that I had a copy of his previous book, You Remind Me of Me on my TBR shelf. So, before I received my First-Read selection, I read his earlier work which had some how or other managed to slip between the cracks of my TBR pile.
I enjoy books that tell a story from the different characters' perspectives. That's what Chaon does in You Remind Me Of Me. He's given the reader 3 distinctive More...
I enjoy books that tell a story from the different characters' perspectives. That's what Chaon does in You Remind Me Of Me. He's given the reader 3 distinctive More...
Jan 18, 2011
Judith
rated it:
This was a huge disappointment, perhaps because I was so excited about the more recent book, "Await Your Reply", which I thought was superb. I liked it so much that I decided to start reading all of Dan Chaon's books. This one, about 2 brothers, had a lot of intriguing situations to build on, but in the end it was just too sad. The mother, as an unwed teenage mother, is convinced to give up her baby for adoption and later has another child which she keeps. The problem is that the a
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Dec 16, 2009
Fawn
rated it:
I wasn’t a big fan of the way the story was written, but I had to read it for book club so I pushed through it…wasn’t easy. There are 3 different story lines to follow however they interwoven. A boy is raised in the shadows of the son given up for adoption. After his mom dies he goes on a search to find this brother. The brother is a bartender/drug dealer whose world revolves around his son. This little boy is a big part of the relationship between the two men.
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Dec 10, 2010
Oceana2602
rated it:
This book would have been a hell of a lot better if I hadn't been spoiled for the whole story by description on the cover. Seriously, who puts ALL of the story of a book as a summary on the cover?
As it is, I can only assume that the book would have been better if I hadn't known the story beforehand, thus getting incredibly bored about one third through, when I realised that really, that summary on the cover, that's all there is. And the way leading up to it really isn't all that spec More...
As it is, I can only assume that the book would have been better if I hadn't known the story beforehand, thus getting incredibly bored about one third through, when I realised that really, that summary on the cover, that's all there is. And the way leading up to it really isn't all that spec More...
Dec 16, 2009
Kelly
rated it:
One of my favorite books to recommend. It's not a difficult read, but the character development is fantastic. It's about trying to find a connection with someone else (and, in some cases, simply anyone else). I ache for some of the characters who try to do the right thing but can't escape the mistakes they nonetheless make. It's much better than I make it sound. Does it help to learn the author is from Ohio?
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Apr 16, 2008
lindsay!
rated it:
You Remind Me of Me is simple and sad and honest.
The characters are all so pitiful with really unfortunate lives, yet each story is poetic in its honesty. It sort of has an awareness like: "Life sucks but the sun still shines." Anyway, it was a nice book.
In fact, it is the first book I have loved in a long long time (ever since Middlesex blew all other published materials out of the water).
The characters are all so pitiful with really unfortunate lives, yet each story is poetic in its honesty. It sort of has an awareness like: "Life sucks but the sun still shines." Anyway, it was a nice book.
In fact, it is the first book I have loved in a long long time (ever since Middlesex blew all other published materials out of the water).
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Mar 11, 2010
Kathy
rated it:
I picked up You Remind Me of Me at the library after I had finished Dan Chaon's newest book, Await Your Reply. I wanted to read another book by Chaon because I had enjoyed Await so much while I was reading it yet felt a little disappointed at the end. I really do like the way he writes - I know it's just a matter of time before I find the book that blows me away.
You Remind Me of Me is similar to Await Your Reply in that it deals with the theme of identity. A young man, raised by More...
You Remind Me of Me is similar to Await Your Reply in that it deals with the theme of identity. A young man, raised by More...
Dec 03, 2011
Jolene
rated it:
This book really picked up in the second half. Chaon is an amazing writer, and the book is a lovely, although depressing, read. I suppose I would have liked to know the characters a little better from the beginning. It took a while to figure out their motivations, which is of course because they themselves can't figure out their motivations, but as a reader I would have appreciated more insight given that the story is not a first-person narrative. I should also admit that, in the end, I was
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Oct 19, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
Borrowed this from someone while I was in transit from Spain to Switzerland because my English-language options were limited. I had low expectations -- basically I thought it would be disposable chick lit, I kept thinking I recognized the author's name from something else (I think I was confusing him with Meg Cabot, which makes no sense, but I wasn't working on a lot of sleep here).
But I enjoyed this book. The mood and setting and honest flawed relationships between fucked-up parents More...
But I enjoyed this book. The mood and setting and honest flawed relationships between fucked-up parents More...
May 11, 2009
Cara
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 28, 2009
Craig
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If I had not read Await Your Reply first, I probably would have rated this higher, but it did not quite measure up to that very high standard. Still, it was a very, very good book. Almost twelve hours after I have finished reading it, I am still shook up over the last chapter. I feel I may always be shook up over it. Although it did not induce the mouth-gaping moments that Await Your Reply created and I guessed correctly early on regarding one of the biggest plot points, it did have plenty of tw
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Nov 07, 2009
Marge
rated it:
I started reading this book with no expectations. I heard of Dan Chaon after EW touted Chaon's recent book, Await Your Reply, as one of the best books that recently came out.
For one with no expectations, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I was amazed at how I got into the story. It has all the elements of a good book : tight and believable story telling, captivating if emotionally crippled characters, outstanding details, consistency in keeping the interest of the reader. More...
For one with no expectations, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I was amazed at how I got into the story. It has all the elements of a good book : tight and believable story telling, captivating if emotionally crippled characters, outstanding details, consistency in keeping the interest of the reader. More...
Dec 16, 2009
Tom
rated it:
You Remind Me of Me begins with a series of separate incidents: In 1977, a little boy is savagely attacked by his mother’s pet Doberman; in 1997 another little boy disappears from his grandmother’s backyard on a sunny summer morning; in 1966, a pregnant teenager admits herself to a maternity home, with the intention of giving her child up for adoption; in 1991, a young man drifts toward a career as a drug dealer, even as he hopes for something better. With penetrating insight and a deep devotion
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