2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great story and HOT topic, November 24, 2008
This review is from: The Way He Lived (Paperback)
Wow. Great book. I think the author did a great job making this a cohesive story. There are 6 different voices throughout it and yet the book seems to really flow.
The other thing that really got my attention was how "in-touch" this author/book is with the audience. I think homosexuality is an issue that so many authors are afraid to touch, but it's also an issue that is front and center with today's youth. And the whole Mormon thing? I don't think readers need to be Mormon to appreciate the undercurrent of religion vs. sexuality, another great feat!
This book doesn't shy away from the major issues teens are facing. Great story, big props!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and Emotional. A Riveting Read., July 28, 2011
This review is from: The Way He Lived (Paperback)
The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith tells how people deal with death from six different points of view. Joel Espen has recently died and his six friends and family members have to decided what to do now, how to move on, why he isn't here, and if he died on purpose. Also, they are mormons.
This book is not at all what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was some action story about a boy without enough water on a camping trip, but really it's about the effects of that boy's death. Smith split the book into six different sections, each by a different narrator who was effect differently by Joel's death. But each character has a supreme sense of loss during their narrative, especially Joel's two sisters and the girl who was in love with him. They don't know how to move on. Each narrative ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but then you see the character in the next person"s story, and it's clear that they are going to be okay. The last narrative is by a girl who never really thought about Joel, but her's is meaningful because of how he affected her life.
The book is very powerful. Smith took the poem about children being born on the different days of the week (Monday's child is face of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, etc.) and assigned each line to one of the characters in the book. The main theme is dealing with loss, and the reader gets to see each characters method of coping.
But there is some confusion at the end. It's revealed that Joel was in love with his best friend- who is male, but it's not quite stated outright, so I was a tad confused. I wasn't sure what it had to do with the rest of the book, and it seemed almost like a different story.
Overall the book was wonderful. It was emotional and real, and it portrayed themes of loss and grief wonderfully. I'm not a Mormon, so some of that terminology was confusing. But the fact that they're Mormons doesn't change the loss they feel, or how wonderfully Smith portrays the themes. The book is very short, but very powerful, and I definitely recommend it.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Made me think, March 28, 2011
This review is from: The Way He Lived (Paperback)
This is one of those books that you think about long after you finish reading it. It's presented in a different way than most novels. Six teenagers each write about the relationship they had with a boy named Joel Espen who died of dehydration after giving away his last bit of water during a Boy Scout trip gone bad. Very intense.
In addition to the insights gained about human nature, one mystery runs throughout the book. Did Joel do it on purpose? Well written!
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"It’s a testament to Smith’s skills that although her central character speaks only through other people’s recollections, his identity emerges distinctly by the end of the novel."
