SPOILERS... A good quick read that I really enjoyed...buuuut the main character does accidentally kill his brother, was forced to kill his dog, and then murders his parents. So not exactly a pick me up. Probably worth skipping as a class read. Not even sure who I would hand this book to. ( )

3.25 stars

Anwell (a.k.a. Gabriel) is 20 years old and dying. He is remembering back to his childhood and growing up when he had only one friend, Finnegan, and a dog, Surrender.

I found it a bit confusing at the start and end, but it was somewhat interesting in the middle. I was surprised at something that happened at the end and it was short and quick to read. ( )

I looked at this while at the library, and changed my mind about wanting to read it. Too much 'yuck factor' -- at least, until I've (hypothetically) loved everything else by the author.

*SPOILERS* Anwell, at age 20, lies dying and looks back on his boyhood, in particular, the events as related to a friend he made in Finnegan. Anwell (or Gabriel, as Finnegan calls him) grew up as a town outcast in a dysfunctional family. At age 7, he accidentally suffocates his disabled older brother in a refrigerator when trying to shush his tantrum while their mother is sick. He meets Finnegan, a rough-edged independent boy with apparently no home or family. They agree to become brother reflections of each other; Gabriel is the angel, the good boy, and Finnegan does all the bad things. A series of arsons plagues the small town where Gaariel lives, all caused by Finnegan, although he is never caught. As the stakes are upped, Gabriel wants out of their pact. To me, it was uncertain if Finnegan was a real person or, as a reviewer suggested, if Gabriel was schizophrenic.

There are some books that you read that you don't necessarily like, but that you think really speaks volumes. This is one of those books. This book focuses on Anwell, also known as Gabriel throughout, and his childhood and then his adult life. The book journeys through the friendship he forms with another boy named Finnigan. Through twists and turns in this book you get to the startling revelation at the end of the book.

Sometimes a book tries to be more high-brow than it should have been. This is one of those books. It was a pleasant book to read, but it also left something to be desired because you are never fully aware of what is really going on within it. This starts to make sense as the mystery in it starts to finally unravel though. It doesn't make it a 5 star book though. There is a basic understanding of life that is missing from this book within the vast majority of its pages. It isn't until that ending that you finally see some humanity in the story, which would have greatly helped this book.

The biggest reason that this book speaks volumes is that it shows the power of life being the family that you are born into. People have some control over their lives, but a lot of it does come down to whomever your parents are and what their lives are like. While it never directly states this you get this feeling. The reader starts understanding if poor Anwell had just been born into any other family that his life may have been greatly different.

There are moments in this book that are interesting, which is why that it still gets 4 points. It isn't an easy to read book by any means, but it leaves a taste in your mouth that sometimes you need to have as a reader. This is an award winning book for a reason and everyone should read it at least once, but past that I am not sure it is one of those books you can go back and reread at a later date. The once that you got through it is more than enough. You will however understand the baseline of humanity after reading this book and I think that is something worthwhile here. ( )