Just Like February

by Deborah Batterman

To Rachel, there’s no one in the world like her uncle Jake. Handsome and mysterious, he fills her with stories, sends postcards and gifts from exotic places. And he’s so much more fun to be with than her parents, who are always fighting. When she learns he’s gay, she keeps it under wraps. And when he gets sick, she doesn’t even tell her best friends. Until she realizes that secrecy does more harm than good.

Framed by the passions of the ’60s and the AIDS crisis of the ’80s, Just Like February begins with the wedding of Rachel’s parents when she’s five and ends with her sexual awakening as Jake is dying. As this poignant coming-of-age story unfolds, Rachel is forced to reckon with a home broken by the stormy love between her mother (a social worker) and her father (a Vietnam veteran) and a heart broken by the realities of homophobia and AIDS.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2018

Reviews

[CristiinaReads୨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

➳The mystery of finding out the truth about family dilemmas, dramatic history, and the adventures that lead you to a greater world is what a true fiction novel is and Deborah Batterman knows how to exude that...



➳This is a fictional novel that has truly captivated me through every essence of every page. Rachel, the main character, has been put in a situation where finding out the truth there is an issue at hand of trying to come to an acceptance of the honesty and how people come out in this generation. When being confronted about the mystery of the past and learning more and more about what the beauty of the truth is, Rachel fights the obstacles in a marvelous way to find the happiness her uncle and family deserve.

➳A fictional novel that has truly got me invested with wanting to read more of this author, and has got me craving more fictional novels such as this one. Overall, I enjoyed this story more than what I was expecting to like and the writing style of it is one that was actually refreshing to read. Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this novel, as I am looking forward to reading more of Deborah's novels...

➳ARC kindly provided by Book Sparks in exchange for an honest review...

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[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought author, Deborah Batterman did a nice job of writing this book. It is not the author's fault that I just couldn't find that strong, human, emotional connection to the characters. Therefore, my reading experience was slow reading for me. Plus, there were moments when what I was reading was not sinking in. Yet, the story itself was good.

The relationship between Rachel and her Uncle Jake was nice. I liked the fact that he communicates with her through postcards. Sadly, postcards have gone to the wayside with the internet. However, I can remember getting excited when I received a postcard. In that moment, you could imagine that location from the picture on the front.

The story did pick up some speed about the half way mark for me. All and all through, while this book may not have hit me in all the right places, I would try another book out by this author.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I love seeing the 1980s, homophobia and AIDS through the eyes of a child whose love for her uncle is unconditional and true.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

'It was the first Sunday in September 1974, and we were all so happy, and never never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that ten years and eight months later my parents would separate, and never never in my darkest dreams could I imagine I would one day be driving along the parkway, windows open to a cruel breeze that would take me from the edge of harmony to a cold, flat reality. "Jake is gone," I hear myself say. Jake is gone.'

Just Like February follows five year old Rachel as her parents (her mother a pacifist social worker, her father a Vietnam veteran) are finally married, through the dramas of young girlhood, friendship, family drama, and sexual awakening. Through all of this is the figure of Jake, her uncle and her idol, an avid traveller and artist who falls ill and dies from AIDS just as Rachel comes of age.

This book was simply beautiful, the writing was incredible and Batterman did a stellar job of evoking the precipice that was the 70s /80s, with the remnants of the free and wild 60s sparring with the crises of the 80s. The family is at the heart of this novel, and the relationships between the characters are so tender, even during times of tension. Rachel's grandmother is a particularly brilliant character, strong-willed and traditional, with an undying love for her family manifesting itself in rituals and obsessive behaviours like earthquake watching.

'For my grandmother, comfort was sitting at the kitchen table, reading through newspapers in the hope of finding that one headline, that one new bit of scientific trivia, that would confirm, or at least shed light on, something she thought she knew.'

There's no denying that Rachel's grandmother is the cornerstone of the family, but I was impressed by how well her children's relationships were also depicted, as sometimes when reading a book through the eyes of a child, it can be difficult to see the characters in other ways aside from 'mother' 'uncle' 'grandmother'. But Rachel's mother, Jake, George, and Vivian were shown in private relation to one another as well, and these dimensions really made the novel bloom beyond what I expected.

The novel is partially epistolary, which was another beautiful dimension to the storytelling, ranging from postcards and gifts from Jake on his travels, to letters between Rachel and her friend Laura towards the end of the book, after their sudden falling out. This close relationship was another star in the novel for me, depicted so tenderly and believably and exploring how friendships strengthen and survive through all the odds, and how they can splinter apart in seconds, and the tentative ways those splinters can be salvaged and stuck back together again.

I dug a little harder, watched the faint imprint of my fingernails disappear with each breath. Laura's cheek was resting on the backs of her hands, and her eyes were closed, and she had the smile of a good dream on her face. She yawned and lifted her head, and together we climbed under the covers, tossing and turning, following each other's sleepy voices in the dark, tugging at opposite ends of the blanket until it encased us like a cocoon, and then, out of restlessness or curiosity or both, we held each other close, giggling and trying to get a sense of what it was that excited boys.'

I absolutely love the way the novel is situated in places. Time seems endless and slippery in the novel, jumping from age to age and with the values of different times all converging on the other, but Batterman describes place with such beauty and brevity that you always feel anchored in the events, even if they feel like a fairy story through the eyes of a young child.

'A place where people once made paintings right on rock, and if you stood very still, Jake said, you could feel the colors and taste the marsh and smell the kookaburra before you heard it and believe, for a minute or two or three, that you were on the very edge of time. This very week, this very day, this very hour, Jake might be admiring a rock painting or weaving his way through the Great Barrier Reef or boating down a river in search of crocodiles while I, halfway around the world, dreamed of sugar roses and white lace and tried very hard to understand how forty-four days could simultaneously pass so swiftly and so slowly.'

The overriding theme of the novel is hope, constant hope that things will turn out for the best, that through all of the trials and tribulations within the family, and through illness, things will get better. And while Jake's illness is terrible and brief, and the injustice continues beyond the ending of the book, for this family Batterman executes a satisfying, world-aware and bittersweet ending.

At 11:39:13 a.m., the Challenger is off the ground, gone in a puff of smoke four seconds later. [...] I think about Jake, too, up there, the astronaut he once wanted to be. And if he had been up there, he would have died, it would have been fast, he would be a hero.'

Thank you to Sparkpress and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

[B. Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the story opens, five-year-old Rachel Cohen is worried that her hippie parents are not going to actually go through with their long-delayed wedding. Her mother keeps calling it off. For Rachel, its more than the much-fussed-over dress she’ll wear as the flower girl; it has to do with making her family seem less precarious.

Her conservative grandparents appear vividly in their humor, patience and bottomless love. Details such as Grandma’s raspberry rugelach and Grandpa’s jokes and stories bring them to life, as do their distinct voices.

But it is her Uncle Jake whom Rachel loves immoderately. A restless traveler, source of treasured gifts and postcards, Jake is a free spirit who seems to offer Rachel a different kind of stability. He really does, even though this may seem at odds with his move to San Francisco, which has given Grandma to an obsession with earthquake predictions. It is only as Rachel grows older—the story begins in 1969 and ends in 1986—that she begins to recognise his demons and the real dangers that threaten him.

One of the most enjoyable things for me in a well-written book is turning back to the first page and first chapter after I’ve finished. Batterman’s beginning holds the seeds of the story to come. I was delighted to find images and motifs that circled back at the end. These are techniques that make for a satisfying ending—so rare in novels these days.

Writers often discuss how much to bring the outside world into your novel. They can add resonance to a story or, if irrelevant, distract the reader. Setting this story in the turbulent mid-twentieth century: the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Batterman could hardly ignore the effect of outside events on this family, yet she goes further by incorporating them into the storyline.

She does a good job of integrating the counter-culture of the time, with its dizzying sense that an old order is actually coming to an end. She also captures the early days of the AIDS epidemic, with their panicked and irrational fears, using them to drive the story.

For me, the story vividly brought back those decades. And the sense of being there again cemented by the many little details and references that were familiar to me. The text is interspersed with Rachel’s diary entries and postcards written by Jake and Rachel, adding another dimension of authenticity and voice.

This cover is brilliant. Delicate and lovely, yet troubled, it sets you up for a story that is all of these things. Delicate and lovely, troubling and satisfying: this is a story to savor.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[David Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sentimental coming of age story that follows Rachel from age 5 to her sexual awakening in the early days of the AIDS epidemic. At the center of the story is Jake, Rachel's uncle who she adores and has a crush on, then comes to realize he's gay and eventually succumbs to AIDS. Through it all I found this a story of hope and heartbreak, joy and sorrow. I also found this book to be very relatable and nostalgic. A quick read, I recommend this to those who enjoy sentimentality in their coming of age stories.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although not a difficult read, I found myself having to reread bits as my mind wondered. I enjoyed many parts the book - but can’t say that I loved it. I did like Rachael and Jake and their relationship but I found it hard to relate to the other characters who seemed rather two dimensional. I had a few giggles at the grandmother’s behavior and comments though. The 80’s were a tragically interesting time and so awfully sad and frightening for those who had the AIDS virus.

[Anita Lynch-Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story follows 5 year old Rachel for 12 years form the time of her
parents marriage through the dissolution of said marriage. throughout Rachel adores her uncle Jake who sends post cards from throughout the world and her warm, loving grandma. Then she realizes Jake is gay and the era of aids and hemophobia is everywhere.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely novel that helped shine a unique perspective on childhood, learning to observe queerness, and the tragedy of HIV.

[Kelly Wheat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline was good, but I was always so confused as to who was who, too many names, and it seemed to jump around a lot. But other than that, it was a quick read.

[BxerMom · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Couldn’t connect with characters

[Bridgitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

The arc of Rachel's story is compelling, funny and informative in such a delightful way. It was so interesting to read about the impacts of AIDS, the Vietnam War, marriage, homosexuality AND an overbearing matriarch through the eyes of a child coming of age.

Deborah Batterman’s writing brings the characters to life in a prolific way. I had to stop reading to make sure I was reading fiction and not a memoir! The candid and believable level of observation as told through the eyes of another - of a child - is not an easy feat. I commend Deborah on this literary accomplishment!

I also appreciate how each character demonstrates the uncomfortable rawness that (sometimes) comes with change in our lives. It's not always easy when we find out someone is different from the image we hold of them - Rachel and Jake - or that we thought we inhabited the same reality but then realize we don't - Susie and Robert.

I thoroughly enjoyed Just Like February, a beautiful and compelling story!

[Claire]

What is February? A wonderful metaphor for the unpredictable, of opposites, a reminder to live without expectation while also appreciating ritual and traditional when it is gifted.

A novel that is immersed in nostalgia for the past, for the innocence of childhood and the reluctant awakening of the adolescent, of the fragility of love, the need for forgiveness, the pain of judgement.

When it opens Rachel is 5 years old, remembering the on again, off again nature of her parents commitment to getting married. She finds solace in her Uncle Jake, when he is around and through his postcards and letters, as he voyages around.

There is a longing in her that only Jake can appease, however there is mystery around him that is slow to be revealed though often hinted at throughout the text, a reminder in the way of it being written of traditional attitudes of skirting subjects, keeping up appearances, of that lurker, denial.

Once it becomes clear to the reader what's happening to Jake, I couldn't help but think of similar decisions that were made by the band members of the rock group Queen, in their making of the extraordinary film and wonderful tribute to their lost band member Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. They highlighted family tension as well as tenderness, an unrequited love that endured despite all the pain, creativity born out of frustration and conflict. It was not necessary to indulge the audience with the misery of the slippery slope, that temporary gratification in hedonism lured him into. It was hinted at, respectfully.

And so too I wonder about the stories behind the story, what would this story be if Jake had been the protagonist, or if Rachel had been more forthcoming. It's a novel that makes you want to peel back the layers and find out why, the reason perhaps he avoided those family gatherings that are known to get to the heart of issues, when families can no longer keep up appearances and combust. I could feel myself wanting to leave the table. Just like February.