Rachel Cohn
You Know Where to Find Me
Simon & Schuster (4th March 2008)
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Not often does a novel come around that leaves readers thinking about it long after it’s been finished. But nor should readers rush into a re-read.
This is intense, emotional stuff, with characters I wish I’d had in my life. Laura, the cousin/sister/BFF. Jamal, the true and loyal friend. Jim, who takes so many people under his wing. Buddy, who knows he’s done bad but has changed and is making amends for the better. And Bex, who for a rival is actually quite lovely. Indeed, Miles is lucky to have all these people.
But the character most like me is narrator Miles. Even though we’re very different in our looks and coping mechanisms, emotionally we are very similar. And I love that we both have the same political opinion: He is everything wrong with America. He’s that GO TEAM RAH RAH RAH, American-flag-pin-on-his-suit-lapel, same old white man who orates about liberty and freedom and then authorises the Pentagon to plunder other nations in the name of “democracy”.
This novel is thought-provoking, emotionally draining and forces (unintentionally or otherwise) readers to undertake personal reflection. This is neither easy nor fun, but is powerful and memorable in a way that very few novels are – put simply: a must-read.
Tez Says 