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Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same

by Mattox Roesch

3.68 · rating details · 88 ratings · 35 reviews

Cesar leaves his gangbanging life behind in Los Angeles to help his mother reconnect with her estranged family in rural Alaska, where she hopes they both can get a fresh start. When Cesar arrives, he meets his college dropout cousin, Go-Boy, who believes he's part of a good world conspiracy and who bets Cesar he will stay in Alaska for a year. Here is Cesarex-gangbanger fr...moreCesar leaves his gangbanging life behind in Los Angeles to help his mother reconnect with her estranged family in rural Alaska, where she hopes they both can get a fresh start. When Cesar arrives, he meets his college dropout cousin, Go-Boy, who believes he's part of a good world conspiracy and who bets Cesar he will stay in Alaska for a year. Here is Cesarex-gangbanger from Los Angeles, seventeen years old, younger brother of a convictgetting off a small bush plane, walking the gravel tarmac, meeting his rural Alaskan family for the first time. Here is Cesar, meeting his cousin Go-boybig hair, Eskimo Jesus tattoo on his forearm, a belief in heaven-on-earth. Here are the two, touring the tiny village in a busted up station wagon, stopping on the bridge at the edge of town, making a bet, I bet you stay in Alaska for a year, both staring through the windshield and down a road that just ends, both waiting for something. Here is where the story begins. Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same is the account of two unlikely cousins and their parallel journeys through guilt and loneliness. A refreshing, coming-of-age story set in a location like no other, Cesar and Go-boy struggle with their matriarchal family and the quirky challenges of life in Unalakleet, Alaska. Inevitably, setting becomes its own character, pushing and pulling against the other characters. With his absent father and an older brother in prison for a gang murder, Cesar is badly in need of a male role model, even in this matriarchal society. In spite of being haunted by his passive involvement with an LA street gang and his older brother's involvement in a gang murder, Cesar believes his real life is waiting for him in California. He sees his time in rural Alaska as a temporary pit stop to help his mother reconnect with her estranged family. That is, until he meets Kiana, Go-boy's stepsister. Cesar muses that Kiana is the type of girl who can change everything, and after one drunken night of passion between the two, everything for Cesar does begin to change. He becomes split by his obsession for Kiana and his budding dependency on Go-boy. As Go's mental stability deteriorates, Cesar is forced to choose between fleeing Unalakleet, or staying with the family and community to help his cousin. Go believes the meaning of life is creating a heaven on earth, and he tries to rope Cesar into his cause. When Go-boy falls into a dark depression, Cesar struggles to understand Go's mental illness and the chain of events that led Go-boy to attempt suicide. It is then the two cousins realize that their strength has been in their similarity to each other, and to the community. Or as Go-boy puts, sometimes we're always real same-same. What Cesar finally discovers is how starved we are for the experience of tight-knit community, for being part of and known by a community, for better or worse, a very exhilarating and fulfilling and scary phenomenon that certainly penetrates into the DNA of Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same.(less)

Paperback, 322 pages

Published September 8th 2009 by Unbridled Books (first published January 1st 2009)

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Alaska Tales

21st out of 69 books — 38 voters

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Feb 11, 2010

Audrey rated it

N.B. Really 4 1/2 stars

I'll admit it - the only reason I wanted to read this book was because the title sounded cool, and I liked the author's name, Mattox. But make no mistake, this book was powerful. It's also not about what you think it's about; the story is not the story you expect it to be.

It starts off when Cesar, an L.A. gang member, moves to small town Unalakleet, Alaska with his mom, a native Eskimo, when his brother is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder....moreN.B. Really 4 1/2 stars

I'll admit it - the only reason I wanted to read this book was because the title sounded cool, and I liked the author's name, Mattox. But make no mistake, this book was powerful. It's also not about what you think it's about; the story is not the story you expect it to be.

It starts off when Cesar, an L.A. gang member, moves to small town Unalakleet, Alaska with his mom, a native Eskimo, when his brother is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. When he arrives, he befriends his cousin, Go-Boy, and their relationship, along with Unalakleet, or rather, Unk, changes his life. One might even say it saves his life. And maybe it saves Go's life, too.

Go-Boy and Cesar are such well-developed, emotionally real characters that I wouldn't be surprised if I ran into them if I ever find myself in Unalakleet. The idea that the descriptions and reactions and emotions of these two people without them actually existing is just baffling to me. Even the lesser characters, some of whom we only saw once or twice, were so real, as were their struggles. I've read that some find these characters flat and undeveloped, but I disagree. I just found them REAL.

I think when it boils down to it, Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same is the story of the importance of being loved, of feeling needed, of feeling connected to other people. It is also the story of hope. Roesch gets the feeling of living in a small, disconnected town down to a T, and each of the characters represents some different aspect of what it must be like. Go-Boy with his craziness and his idealism, Cesar's mom with her desire to be Native, Cesar with his desire to fit in, Kiana with her NEED to get out,. . . It moved me in such a way that I find myself desperately wanting to move to a small town like Unk, to live the life that I experienced so vividly through this book.

It's hard to really explain why, but there was something about this book that jumped out at me and screamed "Live life to the fullest! Be grateful for every moment!" Normally, I can tell if the feeling a book gives me is the feeling intended by the author, but in this one I really just can't. And that's a good thing here. Let people take whatever positive message they choose from it.

Mattox Roesch's debut novel is gripping and enchanting, and any reader will without a doubt find themselves wildly caught up in the emotions and the follies of all of the characters. This book is an extremely enjoyable read that comes highly recommended by Brizmus Blogs Books!
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Sep 23, 2009

Literary Feline rated it

Gangs are a reality, and, for Cesar, they are a way of life. His older brother is serving a life sentence for murdering two teenagers, and Cesar would have landed in the cell next to Wicho if their mother had not decided to move home to Alaska, taking 17 year old Cesar with her. Unalakleet couldn't be more different than Southern California. It is a small village where everyone knows just about everyone. There are no gangs and the crime rate is extremely low. Life seems to be much less complicat...moreGangs are a reality, and, for Cesar, they are a way of life. His older brother is serving a life sentence for murdering two teenagers, and Cesar would have landed in the cell next to Wicho if their mother had not decided to move home to Alaska, taking 17 year old Cesar with her. Unalakleet couldn't be more different than Southern California. It is a small village where everyone knows just about everyone. There are no gangs and the crime rate is extremely low. Life seems to be much less complicated there.

Cesar's cousin, Go-boy, takes Cesar under his wing the minute Cesar stepped off the plane. Go-boy is confidant Cesar will stay in Alaska despite Cesar's determination that he will return to Los Angeles at the end of the summer. The novel is narrated by Cesar as he gets acclimated to his new life in Alaska. He takes an instant liking to Go-boy's stepsister, Kiana, and she to him. However, their relationship is a complicated one, neither being sure what they want from the other, if anything at all.

Although Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same is about Cesar coming into his own as he struggles with guilt for his part in a heinous crime while at the same time adjusting to life in Alaska, Go-boy steals the show. His initial optimism and belief in people touches everyone he comes in contact with, including Cesar. As the novel unfolds, it becomes clear that Go-boy has many more layers than it may first appear. Cesar, who is so much in his own head and dealing with his own issues, does not see the trouble his cousin is in right away.

Go-boy has an optimism and innocence about him that drew me straight to him. He believed that the world was destined for good things and went out of his way to try and make his part of the world a better place in his own unique way. Go-boy stood for hope. He was a light in Cesar's dark world and it was no wonder Cesar took to Go-boy so easily. It is Go-boy that helps Cesar through some of his most difficult moments. Even so, Go-boy is struggling with his own problems. He has mood swings and often disappears for days on end without notice. His own family is in crisis, facing tragedy and uncertainty. My heart ached for Go-boy.

There were moments when I wish the author would have explored some of the minor characters more. I was especially curious about Cesar's relationship with his mother and would like to have delved more deeply into that. Being that the story is told from 17 year old Cesar's point of view and that his world view centers around himself and Go-boy, it may not have been a direction the author felt necessary to go.

I like Mattox Roesch's writing style and the way he weaves the past with the present. I felt like I truly was in Cesar's head, seeing the world through his eyes. He wasn't always an easy character to like. Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent reading Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same. Although at the end I did not feel that Cesar made huge strides in resolving his issues, he certainly was headed in the right direction. Being that he's only 17 going on 18, that's really all a person can expect.
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Sep 23, 2009

Beth rated it

I devoured this book, and if we didn't already have a field nomination, I'd be writing one.

Cesar, unwillingly relocated with his Native mother to Unalakleet AK while his older brother serves a lifetime sentence for murdering two teens in a gang hazing, can't wait to turn 18 and return to LA to go into business with his abusive bsentee father, and his brother in jail (as a minor, he isn't allowed). Immediately upon arrival in Alaska, his well-connected cousin Go-Boy, who he has only m...more

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Mar 26, 2010

Drew rated it

Cesar, the teen gang-banger from Los Angeles, watched his older brother, Wicho, go to prison for his gang activities. Cesar's mother, determined to keep him from the same fate, moves herself and Cesar back to her native village in western Alaska. The only thing that the pessimistically minded Cesar wants is to do is get back to LA, but, Go-boy, his older, overly optimistic cousin bets that Cesar won't go back.[return][return]How these two cousins affect each other, and how their surroundings aff...more

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Sep 25, 2010

Terry rated it

Shelves: 2010-books, cdcs-young-adult

I really wanted to like this book, but I felt constantly frustrated by the story-telling. For me the biggest problem was that the novel lacked forward momentum--at various points in the novel, information would be revealed, and then the narrator would go into a flashback to tell what had happened. Perhaps the most frustrating of these moments is the big reveal of Go-Boy's break-up with Valerie, which should be the climax of the novel, but feels more like a recap of information the reader already...more

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Nov 26, 2009

Jackie rated it

Recommended to Jackie by: Caitlin at Unbridled Books

Shelves: work-review-related-reading

Debut author Mattox Roesch has tremendous talent and the ability to create characters who leap off the page. This story is about Cesar, a young LA gangbanger, and his mother who has decided to move herself and her son back to the small Alaskan community that she was born in and ran away from 20 years ago. There Cesar's life becomes entwined in his ebullient cousin Go-Boy's wild schemes for a new philosophy of living and his own religion based on the Alaskan, feminine, Jesus. The author actual...more

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Aug 15, 2009

Dodie rated it

A somewhat unique coming of age story in a very unusual setting - Unalakleet, Alaska. Cesar has been relocated from Los Angeles by his Native mother, hoping to get him out of gang life and reconnected with their family heritage. He quickly forms a bond with his older cousin, nicknamed Go-Boy, who is part seer, prophet and politician. Life in Alaska has its own rhythms which soon seem second nature to Cesar, allowing him to contemplate the patterns from his previous life with the gangs and to not...more

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Jul 31, 2011

Sheri rated it

Teenage LA gangsta gets uprooted by his divorced mother, who moves the two of them back to the tiny native fishing village in coastal Alaska where she's from. No plot surprises here -- just the opposite, because the writer tells you the plot punch lines before setting up how you get there. The story is in the journey, not the climactic life events recounted in the book. I've not encountered this style of story-telling before, but found it fascinating. Roesch also excels in conveying the expe...more

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Jan 21, 2010

Unbridled Books added it

From The New York Times Book Review:

When Roesch’s thoughtful first novel opens, Cesar Stone, a 17-year-old Los Angeles gang member whose brother is serving life for murder, is living alone with his financially struggling mother. Determined to make a better life, she moves the two of them back to her hometown — Unalakleet, Alaska, a small fishing village where much of her quirky and eccentric family still lives. (Imagine the protagonist discovering he has a relative named “Aunty Strip...more

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Nov 24, 2009

Laura rated it

Shelves: review-copy

This book attracted me mostly due to its name-- somehow, the book description didn't give me an idea of what to expect.

(I much prefer the description on Unbridled Books to the one that is here and on Amazon).

Same-same is as quirky as the name would lead you to expect- quirky without being either cute or light. The focus was on character-- mostly that of Cesar.

Cesar was on a bad path in LA, one likely to end like that of his brother, who is in jail because o...more

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Mar 09, 2010

Sonya rated it

Shelves: indie-press, read-in-2010, good-book-club-pick

Very impressive and believable story of a teenage boy who is transplanted from an unsafe and volatile life of gang violence to a remote village in Alaska, where his mother was born and has now returned. It's a coming-of-age story, certainly, smart and painful, yet full of all kinds of love; especially moving is the relationship between protagonist Cesar and his cousin, Go-boy. Through their fortunes and missteps over one pivotal year, boys become young men.

If you're a teacher looking...more

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Jan 29, 2010

Lara rated it

I wrote a review of this book for PopMatters: here.

Here's the beginning...

Roesch’s debut novel is a riveting story about two 17-year-old cousins in rural Alaska: one who is pulling his life back together, and one who is coming completely unraveled.

Cesar, the narrator, grew up running with a gang in Los Angeles, and his brother is in jail for murdering two teenagers in a rival gang. Go-boy, his cousin in Unalakleet Alaska, has known a completely different kin...more

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Sep 27, 2009

Kristy rated it

Cesar moves from LA to a small town in Alaska with his Native mother after his parents split up and his brother is given a life-sentence for murder. While he first feels isolated in the small town and distanced from its traditions, he gradually becomes a part of everything through his manic cousin Go-boy. A great coming-of-age story, perfect for young adult or adult readers, that addresses issues of crime, sex, drinking, and mental illness without being preachy.

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Oct 29, 2009

Gavin rated it

Shelves: 2009, contemporaryfiction, bestof2009, youngadult

I loved this book. Mattox Roesch has created a wonderful first novel about a half-native boy unwillingly relocated from Los Angeles to a small town on the coast of Alaska. Through his relationships with his cousin and others in Unalakleet he gains a deeper understanding of himself and the people around him. Written in concise, clear language it is a book that works for both adult and young adult readers.

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Jan 10, 2010

Liza rated it

Shelves: adult-fiction

I absolutely loved the secondary character of Go-boy in this strange story of a gangster who moves to Alaska. I also thought Roesch did an admirable job of portraying a young man with bipolar disorder. It isn't my favorite book, but it had some great moments in it, like Go-boy posting signs all over town to convince his girlfriend he loved her.

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Jul 03, 2011

Catness rated it

Not what it was expected to be. turns out not to be a feel good coming of age story about an LA kid in Alaska... well it is, but it's also about manic depression. It's more interesting for it's description of modern day life in a small Alaskan village than anything else, though.

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Sep 09, 2010

Paula Margulies rated it

A promising debut by author Mattox Roesch. This one's about a boy whose single mother moves him from gang activity in Los Angeles to a small town in Alaska. Great characters and a unique and compelling voice. I couldn't put it down (and don't you love the title?). :-)

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Jan 09, 2010

Betsy rated it

Overall, the story was extremely sad. I loved Go Boy even though I knew his quirky behavior was totally manic. Cesar seemed to be emotionally paralyzed a lot of the time and unable to act. Even though he saw what had happened to Sean, he struggled with telling anyone. Similarly, he knew that Go Boy wasn’t acting rationally and probably needed help even before he crashed. I would have liked to know Kiana better. I loved so many things about this book – especially Go Boy’s 101 reasons why he love...more

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Aug 22, 2011

Gina rated it

Fantastic book. I really enjoyed. The story of Go-boy and his positive conspiracy was inspiring. The book was not all positive and light, yet it did up lift my spirit. A good read.

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Jan 31, 2010

Mzungu rated it

lovely tale of redemption in an alaskan village. friend of mine's first book. due to the wonders of jet lag i read this book straight through while sitting in the istanbul airport. trippy.

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May 26, 2010

Eric rated it

Shelves: lit-fict

Very well written and authentic portrayal of life in Bush Alaska. I really enjoyed this book. It struck a chord.

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Nov 04, 2009

Nari (The Novel World) rated it

Shelves: fiction, 2009

Caesar is a product of his environment. His other brother Wicho, is a gangbanger who shot a couple 15 year old kids and wound up with a life sentence in jail. Caesar followed in his footsteps, running with gangs, until his mother finally had enough and moved them back to her hometown in Alaska. This poses a complete 180 for Caesar. Despite knowing the ganglife, Caesar was not opposed to moving to Alaska, even though he and his cousin Go-Boy made a bet that Caesar would not move back to LA after ...more

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Oct 03, 2009

Suzanne rated it

How do I describe this book? "Northern Exposure" meets "Gran Torino"? "Ordinary Wolves" meets "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"? Better to say that this novel is an utter original, one that combines the quirkiness of the misfits that end up in Alaska with the tragic possibilities presented by the bleak landscape, the winters without light, and the limited economic opportunities. Basically, it's a story about the friendship between Cesar, a gangbanger from...more

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Sep 22, 2011

Robert Foreman rated it

It's very hard to write convincing scenes of intimacy between two people. Mattox Roesch does a good job of that and of other things in this book that I'm not finished with but like very well.

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Aug 09, 2011

Diane rated it

Gives one hope for the value of human connection.

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Nov 22, 2010

Erin rated it

Shelves: ya, alaska, native-american

The book club students didn't really get into it. We liked the story line but the writing lacked flavor. I also question the authors narrative as he writes from an Eskimo point of view? The narrative lacks something and I wonder if Sherman Alexie read this book what he would think.

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May 20, 2010

Vanessa added it

it was kind of funny

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Mar 08, 2010

Teddy rated it

In the mean streets of Los Angeles California there are a lot of gangs. Cesar's brother, Wicho was in a gang and is now prison for life. Now Cesar is in a gang and heading in the same direction as Wicho. With an absent father, Cesar's mother wants a better life for both of them and decides to move to her native Eskimo village, Unalakleet in Alaska.
Cesar does not want to move but..(read the rest of my review at: http://teddyrose.blogspot.com/2010/01/so...

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Sep 27, 2009

Emily rated it

Shelves: indie-press, y2009-text

I was impressed with this book -- it's got crossover appeal in that it is appropriate and of interest for adults and young adults. The writing was solid all the way through, and the characters were very convincing, especially the way that they were at the cusp of learning to deal with life in an adult way. They had a way of looking at things in the past and things in the future that was evolving as you read. Highly recommended.

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Aug 18, 2009

Sarah Stone added it

I feel as if I've just come back from living in Unalakleet. The characters here -- especially Cesar/Atausiq, Go-Boy, and Kiana -- are so real that if I hadn't met them, I would forever miss having known them. I haven't read this before, since Mattox wrote it before we worked together (he was doing the line-edits and proofing on this while we looked at his next book), and found it really alive and moving. So glad I read it!

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About Mattox Roesch

Born in 1977, he grew up in Minnesota, lived in Minneapolis for ten years and played drums in an indie rock back, designed and peddled skateboards, and founded the T-shirt printing operation Screenarchy.

His stories have appeared in The Sun, The Missouri Review, Indiana Review, Narrative Magazine, Redivider, AGNI online, and the 2007 Best American Nonrequired Reading. For them, he has ...more

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