I knew pretty early on that this would be a tough book to review. I know that this book will be popular, I can guarantee it. And, in truth, it is everything it should be; heartwarming, heartbreaking, sad, inspiring, etc. If you haven't already read the book, there's a very good chance that you'll love it, so you should probably just go ahead and read it. I, however, while I am well aware that my reaction is probably highly unusual, did not love it.

I'm just going to go ahead and spoiler the bulk of this now, partly because there will be a few spoilers, but also because I can't possibly review this without broaching sensitive topics in a not-altogether respectful way. So if you don't want to be spoiled or offended, just stop here.

(view spoiler)[Anyway... isn't it amazing how the children that die are always the best, most amazing children ever? That is the bulk of my problem with this book. You can't get though more than a couple of pages without hearing how extraordinary Damon was, how handsome, how talented, how "responsibility comes naturally to him," how popular he was, and what a great relationship father and son had. I'm not going to say that Weber whitewashed Damon's life, and (obviously I did not know Damon, so I am really not in a position to say) it is entirely possible that Damon was the real perfect, amazing person that everyone else pretends their lost child was. But, to me, it feels like Weber is just too close to the subject. The book feels dishonest.

Of course, most of that could be explained away by the different kind of life that sick children are forced to live. When you have far too little energy to get out of bed most days, it isn't hard to stay out of trouble so you end up looking like a model child regardless of your inclinations. I was sick myself around that same age, so I knew a lot about what he was going through (I saw the entire IVIg episode, for instance, coming a mile away). (view spoiler)[As a complete side note, I swear the nausea in the fist infusion is a scam of some sort. It is entirely preventable with Benadryl, but they don't give it to you until after you get sick the first time. After that, you don't get any reaction at all. I think they do it on purpose to boost the placebo effect. (hide spoiler)]

But it goes beyond that. For instance, anytime Damon's friend Kyle (a girl, if that matters to you) shows up, Weber makes a point of playing up the romantic possibilities and the idea that she's his "soul mate," even though there is, at no time, any hint of an actual romantic connection between the two. Again, I wasn't there, but it seemed like it was far more likely to be the fantasy of a sad, grieving father than something real. In short, Weber does not strike me as an entirely reliable narrator.

So that was my problem. I feel like I, as a reader, was robbed a little of getting to know the real Damon because he was hidden behind his father's blindness and wishful thinking. Really, this is a story about Weber as a father far more than it is about Damon as a son, but Weber does not seem to appreciate how much of the story is colored by his biased perception.
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I also had a minor writing style issue. Whenever danger approached (view spoiler)[like with the inner tube, horseback riding, or the Mexican hole (hide spoiler)], I always found myself having to go back and read the last couple of sentences again because I didn't realize there had been any danger at all until it was already being resolved. I don't know if Weber was too sudden or too subtle, but since it happened more than once, I'm not inclined to blame myself.

Again, though, I'm sure that most people will love it, particularly if you have ever had to go through something similar.



I received this free through Goodreads First Reads (thanks!).