Customer Reviews

Walking Backward

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Walking Backward is an extremely sad novel, and while I usually never cry during books, this one caused me to fetch the box of tissues. The author does a fantastic job with developing her characters; the voice of young Josh is dark, doleful, and realistic for a twelve year old boy; his little brother Sammy is every bit as crazy and innocent as a four-year-old can be; his reclusive, slightly apathetic dad is beautifully written. Josh's voice tells of his family members' different ways of mourning the loss of a loved one. Sammy is confused and traumatized, seeking comfort in his Power Ranger, which he pretends to be his mother. His dad holes himself up in the basement all day, working on a time machine to bring his wife back. Every page of this short novel contains Josh's interesting musings about death, loss, and life in general. Direct and to the point, Josh virtually covers all the dark and happy thoughts of a boy recovering from loss.

Overall, this quiet read provokes thoughts about the way to mourn loss, move on, and begin to live life again. This book does not contain much of a plot, but it is driven on by the inner journey of Josh and his family. Despite its lack of action, I recommend this touching novel that will entice tears out of everybody's eyes.

Walking Backward was a surprise hit for me. I've read a couple of books from Orca Publishing and was underwhelmed by all of them, so I didn't have high expectation for Walking Backwards. This was the second book in a week to make me cry. Walking Backwards should come with a box of tissues. You have to be made of stone not to cry when reading Walking Backward.

12 year old Josh has the world on his shoulder after his mom dies. His father is hiding out in the basement building a time machine, so he must tend to his little brother, and deal with his grief all on his own. Josh also goes to a therapist which results in the journal style of Walking Backward. Josh is a very strong and intelligent 12 year old boy. I love how he would go off on tangents about different types of snakes while trying to figure out who put the snake in the car that caused his mothers fatal car accident. Josh had a unique and compelling voice through the story. I was compelled to keep reading to see how his story would end.

The relationship that Josh has with his little brother is touching and overwhelmingly sad. These were the parts of the book that had me in tears. How do you explain to a little boy that his mommy is never coming back? How do you explain it to him when you are just a child yourself? It was fascinating to see how Josh handled this problem.

The ending of Walking Backward closes up nicely. Josh gets some answers about what caused his mothers accident and is able to start the healing process.

Overall, Walking Backward was a very well written book. With strong interactions among the characters and a solid ending. I would recommended Walking Backward to anyone who likes a good cry.

Grief is a tricky, tricky thing -- particularly when you have no guidelines to help you through it.

Such is the case for 12-year-old Josh, a young man whose mother has just died in a car accident. Alone for the first time with his four-year-old brother Sammy, who has taken to sleeping in Josh's bed and talking to his mother through a Power Ranger action figure, and his dad, who is now holed up in the basement watching home movies and working on a time machine, Josh is left to mourn his mother while simultaneously grappling with the fact that everything she once did -- and was -- has now vanished.

Catherine Austen's WALKING BACKWARD is a quiet novel about grief and unanswered questions and, as you'd expect, it's not exactly an uplifting read. The novel is Josh's journal, told entirely from his perspective, as requested from the grief counselor the family has been seeing after his mom's passing. Encompassing just a few months in the lives of this family, Josh is entirely preoccupied with determining the "right" way to grieve -- and trying to find a method that works best for he and Sam. Austen's skillful, nuanced explorations of the many world religions and how they mourn their dead was fascinating and, to me, the best part of the story.

Children grappling with the loss of a parent would relate to Josh's uncertainty and pain, and they're the audience to which I would most recommend this novel. And to other readers of all ages? Just be sure to have a box of tissues and a warm, comforting blanket handy.

Walking Backward is a great book for children who are dealing with a death of a loved one. The narrator is a really perceptive character whose thoughts are interesting to follow along with, as long as one is prepared to be depressed. There are subtle happy moments in the book, but for the most part, it's a serious-toned book with a purpose. There is only one conflict through the entire book--a child and his family dealing with his mother's death. It portrays different coping strategies, but that's pretty much it. There's not much else storywise, and what the readers are given is really predictable. It would have been good as a short story, but as a book, I think I'd only recommend it to kids who are going through a similar point in their lives. It's really not interesting if you don't know the emotions that go along with the death of a loved one.

Rating: 3/5