I Am the Cheese

by Robert Cormier, Jeff Woodman (Narrator), Randolph Jones (Narrator)

Imagine discovering that your whole life has been a fiction, your identity altered, and a new family history created. Suddenly nothing is as it once seemed; you can trust no one, maybe not even yourself. It is exactly this revelation that turns 14-year-old Adam Farmer's life upside down. As he tries to ascertain who he really is, Adam encounters a past, present, and future too horrible to contemplate. Suspense builds as the fragments of the story are assembled--a missing father, government corruption, espionage--until the shocking conclusion shatters the fragile mosaic. Young adult readers will easily relate to the shy and confused Adam, whose desperate searching for self resembles a disturbingly exaggerated version of the identity crisis common to the teenage years.

First published in 1977, I Am the Cheese provides an exciting introduction to psychological thrillers. This sensitive, emotional, subtly crafted novel by Robert Cormier (author of The Chocolate War) was a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, as well as a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. --Emilie Coulter

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Classics, Teen, Thriller, School

6 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925–November 2, 2000) was an American author, columnist and reporter, known for his deeply pessimistic, downbeat literature. His most popular works include I Am the Cheese, After the First Death, We All Fall Down and The Chocolate War, all of which have won awards. The Chocolate War was challenged in multiple libraries. His books often are concerned with themes such as abuse, mental illness, violence, revenge, betrayal and conspiracy. In most of his novels, the protagonists do not win.

Reviews

[Maciek · Rating 4 out of 5]

But I keep pedaling, I keep pedaling...

A photograph of Robert Cormier will show you an old man with a kind face, who was born and grew up in a small town of Leominster in Massachusetts which he never left, who graduated from a private catholic school and wrote articles for the local newspaper.



It might be a surprise to learn that Cormier's novels are very bleak and pessimistic; concerned mostly with young protagonists and the pains of adolescence of growing up. Betrayals and conspiracies abound, secret societies full of violence and betrayals. No one is safe, and the good guys don't always win. Cormier's novels are unusually dark for fiction addressed towards a younger audience, so much that concerned individuals and institutions tried to ban them. In most of his works there's no hope or redemption at the end - perhaps Cormier's censors wanted to protect young minds from what they perceived to be unnecessary gloom. They underestimated writer who refused to back down and the intelligence of his audience. If they knew how truly cruel kids can be, their heads would explode.

I Am The Cheese is the story of Adam Farmer, a 14 year old boy who cycles from Monument, Massachusets to see his father at a hospital in Rutterburg, Vermont. It's a long trip, and unusually ominous; Adam is fearful as there always seems to be something waiting around the corner or behind his back. He carries a package which he must deliver to his father, but why is he alone on his trip? Why is he suspicious of everybody he meets? Why is his father in a hospital so far away?

Cormier's novel explores the themes of adolescence and alienation, with a brilliantly sinister twist. I was surprised at how ambiguous and dark the novel was, considering the audience it was aimed at - the feeling of confusion and helplessness and the fear of growing up. Most of us still can remember the time our trust in our friends was broken, and the realization that our parents aren't perfect and all-knowing as they once seemed. Children experience these emotions deeply and take them very seriously, but often do not let them out and keep them locked deep within themselves, and can relate to Adam and his struggles on his trip to Vermont.

I Am The Cheeseis a terrific novel both for children and adults. It's very quiet and subdued, turning up the suspense with a deliberate slowness, revealing its secrets one by one until they all come together at the end in a truly shocking (and brave) conclusion. I can't wait to read more works by Cormier - he was truly an excellent author and is now sadly missed by one more reader.

[mark monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

spoiler: THE CHEESE STANDS ALONE.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

After recently discovering the work of Robert Cormier, I decided to come back for more. This is another wonderfully-crafted novel in which Cormier shows his versatility and ability to entertain readers of all ages. Adam Farmer is on a mission to see his father, a trip 70 miles across three states. He is ready to make the trek entirely by bicycle, leering of hitchhiking along highways he does not know. As he ventures out, Adam thinks back to some of his fondest memories as a child, as well as the strong friendship he’s made with Amy Hertz. Interspersed with this is a narrative set in a collection of therapeutic sessions, with Adam as the patient. These conversations begin to peel back the proverbial onion in Adam’s life, as the reader learns a little about the lives of the elder Farmers. A third-person narrative offers up a final perspective, filling in many of the gaps and telling an interesting narrative that ties into events to which the other two storylines refer. As Adam’s bicycle trip proceeds, he begins to realise that much of what he thought was true might be a construct of his own making. Why this journey to see his father and how do these therapeutic interviews come together? The curious reader will discover all this, as well as the truth behind Adam Farmer. Recommended to those who love a slow-revealing mystery as well as the reader who enjoys a ‘coming of age’ tale!

It would seem that Robert Cormier enjoys using food in the titles of his books, at least the few I have read. Cormier weaves quite the story and keeps the reader intrigued throughout, using the multiple narratives to his advantage as they culminate in an explosive finale. Adam Farmer shares much about himself in this story, serving as quite the protagonist. His cycling journey shows the reader the determination to finish what he starts, even in the face of adversity. Adam surely has some buried struggles, as is seen in the therapeutic interviews, where his grasp of reality seems to ebb and flow, revealing much to the attentive reader. The personal struggles in which Adam finds himself help to reveal a vulnerable and confused boy, whose past is a mix of truths and suppositions. Other characters prove helpful to shape the larger narrative, complementing Adam Farmer effectively. These supporting characters prove essential in Cormier’s tangled web, which is spun in a subtle manner throughout. With a great narrative that clips along, the reader is treated to a wonderful collection of plots with a powerful final revelation. Cormier uses his wonderful writing abilities to keep the reader wanting more, particularly after the twist in the closing paragraphs. I am just sorry that I did not become interested in Cormier sooner, so as to discuss his work with my father, whose English classes were filled with such young adult classics!

Kudos, Mr. Cormier, for another wonderful piece that has me turning to read more of your work.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Jorgina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wish I had NEVER read this book. Required reading for my 10th grader so I read it first. Starts out good, keeps you reading even if it does bounce back and forth in time. Then it ends horribly, suddenly without resolving anything and with no hope no finality. It just ends where it begins. It does give you the endless circle that a mentally disturbed person must feel but GOSH! Why, during a youth's most unsettling years of self doubt, low self esteem, bouts of depression, hopelessness; the teen years, why would a teacher want them to read a book like this?> I will ask her and report back.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He was intrigued by the power of words, not the literary words that filled the books in the library but the sharp, staccato words that went into the writing of news stories. Words that went for the jugular. Active verbs that danced and raced on the page.”
― Robert Cormier, I Am the Cheese


I read this in school and it made such an impact on me I could shiver just thinking about it.

I looked for this book for years due to my forgetting the title. Maybe that was subconsciously on purpose as it is one of the most depressing books I've ever read. That doesn't mean it isn't good! I saw another reviewer said something about what were they thinking making this a school assignment. I could kind of understand that.

Some of the best literature I've read during my High school and college says that was required. Among those are 1984, The Lottery, An Incident at Owl Creek Bridge, The Light in the Forest, The Color Purple and many more I am sure I am forgetting.

I am the Cheese is one I am not sure I'd have read otherwise so I guess that's a good thing. If you happen to be thinking of reading this try to start the book in a decent mood because it is so morose.
It was a gr eat read though. Not sure I will reread but it gets 4.5 stars from me anyway.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first saw this book, I thought it was strange book that no one would read and it was one of the books I just quote…dumb but Robert Cormier, who describes the protagonist, Adam Farmer, and his epic journey to see his father in Rutterburg, Vermont creates this amazing book -- all in flashbacks. He tells the story of Adam as if he was telling it himself.
Adam Farmer a normal kid in school, one day finds the need see his father in Rutterburg, Vermont. He abandons his mother and his precious Amy Hertz and rides of to see his father. His epic journey extends longer and longer meeting many obstacles on the way delaying him from his goal. But as the book continues, Adams past is going to haunt himself as he finds out that he is not who he really is.
Confused, in the beginning of this book, I wanted to throw it away. But as the story continued the true meaning unveiled to me. Shocked, grateful, and satisfied, when I finish the book the true story of Adam Farmer is shown. His character really changes as the story goes on.
This page turner is truly remarkable piece of literature is a must read and the ending would leave you shocked and surprised on what is the true, truth of Adam’s past.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

This is "Shutter Island" with Leonardo DiCaprio for teens. LOL

Robert Cormier was there and doing Young Adult Lit before it was hip. Long before J.K. Rowling or Suzanne Collins. Ya feel me, bro? j/k

This short novel plays with perceptions, memory, and switches effortlessly between first-person present-tense chapters and third-person past-tense segments. Also, a third, unique from of storytelling exists here--the recording between the main character and the "Doctor." Between these three avenues of tense and "feel", the reader is brilliantly given different angles and interpretations of the story and it stays fresh. Somehow, since 1977, this novel still feels super fresh. Like the Supermarket chain. For real.

I was surprised at how much I liked the pacing and the voice, reminding me of a combination between "Catcher in the Rye", "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime", with a bit of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and a splash of the films "Memento" and "Shutter Island" (in presentation of plot delivery).

An excellent book at a great length for teens. Well-written, tight, and only slowish around the three-quarter mark if I had to be picky.

Will easily be reading and recommending more Robert Cormier to people, but specifically teens 13-19. "The Chocolate War" is next on my list, and came out two years before "I am the Cheese."

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this young adult novel when I was a second- or third-year undergraduate student at university (the book was sold in the college bookshop as it was apparently used as a case study text on a course there). One of the two primary reasons why I bought it at the time was that I had enjoyed reading the same author’s book, The Chocolate War, when I was 11 years old and had wanted to read more books by him. However, for some reason, I don’t think I saw any of his other books in the local bookshop during my teen years (although this might have been as much because of my focus on fantasy novels such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Dragonlance Chronicles as on the possibility that Robert Cormier’s books were not stocked locally at the time). The other reason is that I am a Cormier on my mother’s side and being descended from 17th-century French colonists in Canada with the same name it’s very likely that I’m distantly related to this Canadian-American author.

The strange thing is that it has taken me over twenty years to actually get around to reading the book! The main reason for this delay is probably that the book got shelved at an early date and was soon after forgotten about as I got other books to read for leisure or to study for my BA and MA degrees and subsequent research. Whatever the cause for this delay, I’m glad that I finally did read I am the Cheese! As to what started me reading the book, it was my desire to add, on GoodReads, the correct cover for the edition that I owned, as well as that for The Chocolate War which got me browsing it.

At 191 pages, it’s a short enough read and most of the book was read in two sittings a day apart (if I’d nothing else to do I would’ve read this in a day). Since it is a psychological thriller, it builds suspense well by alternating between two stories. The fourteen-year-old protagonist’s adventure in cycling towards a town in another state so that he could meet up with his father and give him a parcel, the contents of which we are not told about, forms one story. This is told in both the first and third person. The other story takes the form of transcripts of therapy sessions (increasingly embellished by third-person narratives), which are held at some kind of institution where the protagonist – a little older now it seems – has difficulty in recalling some traumatic events in his life. The story combination and their gradual unfolding not only build suspense but also, for me, created an element of dread. This is because you know that, at some point, something bad is going to happen and, all the while, there is growing unease on the part of the protagonist (and the reader) as to the true purpose of the therapy sessions (or was the boy just paranoid?).

The dénouement of the book is depressing. Also, the psychological and ethical issues that arise in the context of the treatment received by the protagonist at the institution where the therapy sessions take place are perhaps typical of a lot of writing in the 1960s and 1970s when scientists were very much interested in themes like mind control and memory suppression. It’s therefore very much a product of its time but I don’t think it has any less value today than it did in the late 1970s. If it gets readers, especially younger ones, to question received wisdom then its value, other than being a good tale, is secure.

[Hux · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, let's just start by saying the book cover and the title are absolutely awful. Okay, with that done, let's begin...

I really enjoyed this. I'm not sure you could ever describe it as great literature or anything, the prose being very standard, the set-up and themes done to death (though perhaps not as much at the time of publication). Meanwhile, the story was very basic and I'd describe this more as a fun mystery that was immensely enjoyable to read, and which stormed along at a pace.

The book switches every chapter (with some exceptions) from the first person narrative to third person. The first person is narrated by the protagonist, Adam Farmer, who is riding his bicycle from Massachusetts to Vermont where he is taking a parcel to his father. The third person narration includes a kind of interview dialogue between Adam and a psychiatrist named Brint which is taking place after the events of the bike ride. These different styles make the book easier to read, switching from one to the other. We quickly come to understand there is a mystery element to the book, a secret about Adam's past and identity which the psychiatrist is trying to wean from him. His memories seem to be fragmented, lost, and confused. As the story goes along, we learn a little more each time, about Adam's father's role as a journalist in a criminal investigation that resulted in their family being placed in witness protection, about the people they were hiding from, and the people helping them. The book maintains a good pace and Cormier gives just enough information each time to keep you invested. It's very effective but does ultimately demand a conclusion which, as is often the case with this kind of novel, doesn't entirely satisfy.

But it was enormously fun to read and I would definitely recommend it. The book is pretty straight-forward stuff but produces enough intrigue to pull you in. The ending was a bit of a cop-out but my opinion on that is probably heavily influenced by modern pop culture examples of this kind of story (think Shutter Island etc). You've probably seen or read something similar elsewhere. For its day, however, this was probably quite inventive and new. And ultimately, despite the book offering a mystery that was never going to be satisfyingly concluded, the fact remains that I found it highly entertaining to read all the way through. The therapy element is a tad cliched by modern standards but it serves as an effective way to tell a story. Meanwhile, if you read the book purely as a kind of YA novel exploring a coming of age narrative (with added intrigue), it becomes a little more impressive.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember when YA meant "easy to read" and "topics that interest teens" and not necessarily pre-chewed dumbed down handholding? I miss it. After reading this book from 1977, I might want to read more from Robert Cormier.

While I didn't enjoy the interview parts as much, the eery atmosphere and the slow reveal of the past was well-done. I'd have prefered some more explanations at the end and less vagueness, but I still liked it.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first, I was curious about the narrator's age. Later in the story he says he is fourteen, though often he seems younger (as it turns out, there is a reason for this). The author employs three styles of narration: first person, third person, and interview transcript. The interviews, with a man called Brint, quickly take on a sinister tone: Adam correctly perceives that Brint is not a doctor, and Brint is evasive - he says he wants to help Adam fill in the blanks in his memory, and yet Adam realizes that Brint is more interested in certain "specifics" than he is in Adam's other memories. In addition, there is much talk of pills and needles (for sedation purposes, apparently).

The entire book centers around the character of Adam as he makes two parallel journeys: one on his bike, from Monument, MA to Rutterburg, VT, and the other into his past, trying to fill in the blanks, find out who he is and what happened to his parents. Through the interviews, his memory comes back to him: his family had been under government protection - an early version of the Witness Protection Program - after his father, a reporter, testified in court. Adam's real name is Paul Delmonte.

Not long after he learns of this from his parents and begins to adjust to the new reality, the Grey Man - allegedly the government agent in charge of keeping the family safe - calls the house and warns them they might have been exposed and ought to leave town for a few days. They pack the car and go. On their drive, Adam/Paul's father notices that they are being followed; they pull over and let the car go past them, and his father observes that it's "Grey's men," keeping an eye on them. But the car returns - with murderous intent. Adam sees his mother die; he does not see his father. Adam himself suffers severe trauma, such that three years later he is in a facility (not so much medical as government). His bike ride, we find out, is also fictional: he is merely riding around the grounds of the facility. (This revelation is similar to that in the movie The Usual Suspects, when the audience realizes that Kevin Spacey has invented the entire story out of clippings from a bulletin board.)

Brint is interviewing Adam to see what he remembers, and in the last few pages of the book is the "annual report" on Adam's condition, complete with "advisories": (1) that Adam ("Subject A") be "terminated," or, failing that, that he (3) remain in "confinement" until he can be terminated or until he "obliterates." (Advisory #2 is that Mr. Grey be reinstated as an agent.)

This is all rather cold and horrifying: to find out that you aren't who you thought you were (Paul Delmonte, not Adam Farmer) is identity-shaking enough, but then to realize - as Adam might, fuzzily, but as the reader can certainly piece together - that the governmental authority that was supposed to protect you in fact betrayed you. The facts alone are a dash of cold water, more poignant still as Adam is so alone and confused, never to grow up to have a solid identity or a normal life.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier was a fantastic book because it totally caught me off guard until the very end of the book. The reason was that Adam, the protagonist, tells a story while he rides a bicycle in a circle. Adam is mentally ill and is put in a facility because Adam knows something that the government doesn't want him to remember. As a result, the government drugs Adam in the hope of erasing his memories. The ending is very surprising, so i do not want to ruin the book. The title is also significant because it is a metaphor for Adam's life. Adam's life is like cheese in that it has many holes. All in all, I recommend this book to anyone who likes surprises or adventures

[•.~*Izzy*~.• · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this book for the first time at around 18 years old and i could easily say it was one of the few books i read around that time (like animal farm) that really reignited my passion for reading, after going through a few years span of not reading really anything.

i was recommended it by one of my english teachers, jan (i have to shout her out bc she’s amazing) and let me tell you it blew my mind then, but also just as much now seeing as i had forgotten a lot of what happens.

it’s so fast paced and leaves you curious the whole time, and i really enjoy the “interview” type conversations, it is what makes you want to just keep reading so you can figure out more and more. i was absolutely just as hooked on this as i had been the first time i read it. great book that im sure i will come back to again in the future.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

An unreliable narrator who is off his meds and suffering from that cheesy sort of selective amnesia that allows the author hide the parts of the story he's not ready to show yet goes on a bicycle road trip across New England, a quest to see his father.

The twists and turns of the plot aspire to be dramatic and shocking, but I was bored by the distance between revelations and their cornball and arbitrary nature when they did come. And don't get me started on that ending cribbed from The Wizard of Oz -- "You were there. And you were there."

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The other day on the way home from work I tuned into All Things Considered on NPR. I listened to this segment. I was mesmerized by the description of a book that had left its impression upon someone so long ago. I was intrigued.

That evening I took the children to the public library to check this out.

I loved the story here. Cormier's writing is compelling. Adam lives in a dark world that he discovers as the book proceeds. There is a great mystery that unfolds. As a reader, it is easy to be caught up in the the plot. The story is all flashback, but from different settings. It's interesting. While I had my theories on things throughout, in the end I have no idea if they were confirmed or not.

That is the problem with this book. There is no ending.

What was headed for a nice conclusion was suspended. All of a sudden we get a pysch ward filled with characters we have seen before. Did any of this actually happen? I felt like the ending to the Usual Suspects. Discord. And for that, I loathe Mr. Cormier. A reader should not leave unsettled.

I am completely baffled as to what this story was. Was it the tale that unfolded (newspaper man, identity, etc.) or is it a troubled youth caged living out fantasies?

The reader is jilted by this book. Bah!

[Amanda Childs · Rating 1 out of 5]

WHOLE CLASS READING

Adam's whole life is like a maze. He remembers when his life was happy and normal. But a mysterious man, Mr. Grey, controls everything in his family's life, and the implications are sinister. Adam embarks on a bicycle quest, pedaling to find his dad. as he does, he starts remembering, and then things come crashing down.

This book is certainly smart. It's mostly psychological and requires the reader to keep up and pay attention. that said, I found it to be disappointing. Indeed, I found the book to be rather pointless and a waste of my time to read it. Moreover, the book is bleak and seems to pander to a demographic that likes needlessly scary movies or conspiracy theories. Additionally, the format is somewhat confusing, and I feel could have been done better, so that identities and clues were more seamlessly woven together. And while Adam begins to realize things and discover his identity, his discoveries are short lived and ultimately futile. What kind of adolescent message is that? Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. There are plenty of psychological thrillers out there, ones with better, more climactic, interesting, or useful endings.

[Olha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Дуже дивний роман, який неможливо описати без спойлерів. Він нагадує один відомий кін, але це теж головний спойлер. Химерне чтиво, моторошне як сонний параліч, люблю таке.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am the Cheese' is marketed to the Young Adult audience and indeed the protagonist is a teenager, but it’s a beautifully crafted mystery that can be enjoyed by older readers as well.

The narrative is written with alternating segments between a first person bicycle trip through several American states and the typed tape transcripts from an interview with a very frightened and traumatized young man.

The bike rider, Adam Farmer, and the young man appear to be the same person. His memories are slowly and painfully drawn out of him as the bike rider encounters one danger after another in his journey interstate.

Given it’s target audience this feels very sophisticated especially given that it was first published in the 1970s. The two storylines dovetail together almost seamlessly. I am a very long way from this book's supposed target demographic but nonetheless it kept me hooked right to the end, I devoured it in two sittings. There seems to be a disparity in the two boys ages and title is a little confusing, it certainly wouldn't have encouraged me to pick it off a store bookshelf, but thankfully it was given to me and it all made sense at the end. Overall an enjoyable read.

[Ives · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Am the Cheese
Robert Cormier
220 pages
HarperCollins,1985
$7.99
ISBN Dell,1981 ISBN 0-440-94060-5.


Have you ever thought about living the life of a victim? Always having the fear of being heard or watched from left to right, up to down? A little taste in what the "bitter-sweet" life is here in this compressed, and brilliant book. The lives of a small, mysterious family of the Farmers (Adam Farmer: Student, son of Mr. & Mrs. Farmer) are on stake. This small family is being hunted down by the government. What do the officials want from this average family?

"A: I saw the Gray man get out of the car.
A: I could tell mother was dead with her head twisted in an abnormal angle.
T: What else did you see? You must tell me.
T: Tell me of this, Gray man. You must not retreat now.
T: You must not retreat now.
A: I would like to suspend now.
T: You must not. Tell me.."

I think that this is truly an amazing book. Personally being a fan of mystery, I enjoyed how Robert Cormier tosses in and stirs up the story with characters and conflicts to prevent the main character from getting what he wants. It seems as if the story is occurring or playing in my head, as I read each word. I picture the scenes go by and I visualize the characters in front of me, interacting before my eyes.
Adam Farmer, or so he was given this name, lives a normal life - goes to school, hangs out with his friend, goes home, and all that other stuff. However, his dad has been out of town and he hasn't gotten back. Adam recieves a notice that his dad is in the hospital. Worried and stealthily, Adam's guile sets him off onto a journey. He encounters many life-threatening experiences and obstacles that stand in his path. What he doesn't realize is that everything he's ever been told, or lived through, is a lie.
Personally, I think that people who enjoy reading and solving mystery books will love this book because this book has a variety of issues - from identity loss, all the way to helping/talking to strangers. Plus, the story and backgrounds of the characters are interesting as well. It's more fun than just solving any other puzzle; this one's been built incorrectly, and you're the one that has to rebuild it.

[David Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to give Robert Cormier a lot of credit with this book. He has managed to work a complex psychological thriller into a young adult book in a way that keeps the attention of non and resistant readers (I have multiple students who can attest to this). The main narrative (at least at first) involves young Adam Farmer riding his bike from Massachusetts to Vermont, but there are other stories–memories and psychological interviews–that take over, complicating and intensifying the initial framework.

It is possible to spot what’s really going on somewhat early in the book, but there are multiple layers to this whole project, and even after readers figure one thing out, they may be surprised by the next piece of the puzzle as it slowly falls into place.

What impressed me as much as the story revelations, though, was the consistency of the themes and tenor of each section of the book. There’s a sadness and a despondency that runs through the whole work, the sense of a life being taken away, of opportunities being denied, of cold, prodding questions, of the desire to know more but only being saddened and frustrated by the few answers received. At one point, Adam questions whether it is possible to be simultaneously claustrophobic and agoraphobic, and this contradictory and elusive emotion is precisely the one the story provides.

Similarly, there is a focus on the cynicism of human nature, about how people are generally looking out for their own interests despite the facade of camaraderie they might provide, as well as the nature of identity, how people’s sense of self can be so easily changed, deluded, or outright lost. In this world, it is the large (often institutional) forces swirling around the universe that determine the outcomes of people’s lives much more so than their individual identities.

[Sheila Beaumont · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a totally riveting, well-written psychological thriller and mystery, though I can't say I cared for the ending. It's an excellent read for both adults and teens who enjoy psychological-suspense mysteries and who don't mind a shocking, downbeat conclusion.

[Panagiotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a friend of mine recommended me that book i thought it was a ''funny'' one. I mean ''i am the cheese''?Come on. Well funny is the last word that anyone would use to describe it. A really sick book, manages to keep you in agony till the very last page of it. The stories connect between them in a very clever way, the puzzle is being connected perfectlty and the final result leaves you dumbfounded when you realize what you had been reading all this time.

Answers are being given, although the writer gives you some space to assume some things by yourself, and the ending though quite shocking, is satisfying. You know, some times when you finish a book, you realize that the writer was trying to keep you awake through the reading just to offer you in the end milk and water. Not this time.

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life forever, and almost ten years later I can still admire its intricate structure as a thing of beauty. This is the finest novel a very fine writer ever wrote.

[Burak Candan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Although the author wrote the book targeting his young audience, the emotional intensity, bitter reality, and misery felt in the fiction make it a novel that, in my opinion, appeals more to adults than teenagers.

In the book, we see a boy struggling to recall his impressions of his childhood and family through repeated sessions of psychotherapy in which he reaches some flashbacks. Parallel to these chapters, we also come across other chapters wherein the protagonist cycles from one region to another to get his father. These two parts combine in the finale to realize the dissolution of the story. Cormier brings us to the climax at the end of his fiction, in which he evolves step by step by entering the psychological corridors of the protagonist.

Even though I found some of the characters in the book highly predictable, I find it admirable because of its spiral plot, which can technically be considered original given its publication date. However, the book's real strength, I think, lies in its ability to transmit the brutal reality of psychological stuckness and despair to the reader and leave him as blank as the protagonist himself.

[Michelle Stimpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was an incredibly strange experience for me. A copy of the book has lived in my classroom for years and it has been on my TBR for a long time. I'm not sure where I got the book. I've picked up books for my classroom in lots of places -yard sales, thrift stores, library sales, and I've bought quite a few new. This one has my name on it and it has been read before (I can tell from the spine), but that's all I know. It's not usually the type of book I'm interested in, but I flipped through the book, grasped the premise for the title, thought it was clever and have wanted to read it ever since.

I am participating in a Reading Challenge that requires me to read a book I've been meaning to read for a long time. I chose this one. As I began to read, I had a deja vu sensation that I had read it before. Not too strange. I've done that before -read a book that I've already read without realizing it right away. I've read hundreds of books and I don't remember them all. Usually when that happens, something in the book triggers my memory and I remember the story. Typically I'll abandon it and find another book, because if I didn't remember it, then it couldn't have been that good.

But this was not the case with this book. This book is good. Like, can't-put-it-down good. The main character can't remember what has happened to him. He describes these "blanks" in his memory, but he has "clues" as to what happened.

Some of the clues seemed familiar to me and I'd think, "Oh, I've read this before," and I'd try to remember what happens next, but there were blanks in my mind -just like the protagonist describes. Then I'd read other clues and I would know for sure that I hadn't read it before. By the time I got to the end, I was 94% sure that I haven't read it before. There is something entirely unforgettable about that ending. HOWEVER, there is something, still, about this book that makes me wonder -did I read it and forget? Just like the protagonist -there are blanks and there are clues . . .

Thank goodness for Goodreads. I'll never forget that I forgot again . . .

[Sepinood Ghiami · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی ناراحتم که هیچ‌وقت قرار نیست این کتاب رو بخونید. کتاب یک بار سال ِ شصت و نه به فارسی ترجمه شده، و هیچ تجدید چاپی هم نداره. گیرتون نمیاد.
داستانی که رابرت کورمیر، با قصاوت ِقلبی باورنکردنی، برای نوجوانان نوشته بود، از سیاه‌ترین و تاریک‌ترین داستان‌هایی بود که در کتاب‌ها خونده بودم یا در فیلم‌ها دیده بودم. کورمیر برای چاپ کتابش، به مشکلات زیادی برخورده بود‌. کسی حاضر به چاپ کتابی به این اندازه تلخ برای نوجوانان نبود، و به نظرم کتاب، بیشتر از اینکه کتاب نوجوان باشه، کتاب بزرگساله. تاثیرگذارترین تصویرگری ِ سیاهی‌ها، اون‌هایی هستن که از زبان یک کودک، و یا درون ذهن ِ یک خردسال پرداخته میشن. و این الزاما، از کتاب، یک رمان نوجوان نمیسازه.
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در جاده‌ی سی و یک ایالت ِ ماساچوست هستم و با دوچرخه‌ام به طرف ِ راتربرگ در ایالت ِ ورمانت می‌روم. با تمام نیرویم پا می‌زنم، چون دوچرخه‌ام خیلی قدیمی‌ست؛ نه دنده دارد و نه گلگیر، فقط چرخ‌های تابداری دارد و ترمزی که همیشه نمی‌گیرد و فرمانی با لاستیک‌های ترک خورده که دوچرخه را هدایت می‌کند‌. دوچرخه‌ی ساده‌ای‌ست، از آن نوع دوچرخه‌هایی که پدرم سال‌ها پیش وقتی بچه بود، سوار می‌شد‌‌‌... هوا سرد است. باد مثل ِ مار در آستین‌هایم می‌پیچد و در کاپشن و پاچه‌های شلوارم می‌سُرد، اما من همین‌طور پا می‌زنم، مرتب پا می‌زنم...

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is on a list of short books that were somehow life changing for me.

My original read was years and years ago - I was maybe around 12 or 13. I have this distinct memory of finishing the book very late at night - when everything is dark and the house and the world are asleep. I was completely overwhelmed by two things, (1) all encompassing loneliness - not in a boo-hoo sort of way, but more in a born alone, die alone Ultimate Truth epiphany moment, and (2) being absolutely unsure whether or not my perceived reality was true in any way. Essentially, I felt that I was certainly crazy. There is no comfort to be found in the middle of the night when you are 13 years old and everything you feel isn't simply felt but you are violently attacked and conquered by the emotions you have no control over. I think I just sobbed for hours, and was never quite the same. tl;dr - it made a big impression on me.

I don't think I had read it since until this week. It's a great book and I'd recommend it as a satisfying read, but my true alliance is in memory.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Am The Cheese is Robert Cormier's nightmare version of Peter & The Wolf - this Peter's feverishly pedalling a rickety bike across New England in the dead of night. Cormier's jagged narrative kicks up a hornet's nest of touchy topics like politics, religion and Freudian analysis.

Several of the episodes in the book reminded me of recurring nightmares that I've had, so Mr. Cormier's novel, it can be said, crawled inside my head and stayed there for awhile. The controversial ending to I Am The Cheese is so twisted that if Rod Serling had lived to read it he would have furiously kicked the church windows out in green-eyed envy.

[Kressel Housman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now here's a book that really breaks the mold of young adult fiction, and it's absolutely brilliant. It's told as a teenage boy's recollections to a shrink, but you won't get the full impact of his story until the very last page. And then - pow! I highly recommend it, but be warned: it's not a happy, feel-good book.

[Derek Wurth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one that knew how to hold my attention, so many questions as you're reading, and then that ending comes and you are just sitting there comprehending what it all was and feel like it needs to be reread. I LOVED IT!