Smashbomb

"One of the first records I remember having any kind of relationship to was the soundtrack to 2001. At that point, I wasn’t allowed to put the needle on the record, but my dad would put it on, and, looking back now, I liked it ’cause it it scared me. There’s a lot of spooky stuff on there. I wanted to hear the record that was going to freak me out, and I wanted my dad in the room while it was being played. Growing up in Temple, Texas, my dad was the looser parent, the kind of guy who would wake the kids up in the morning by turning the stereo on really loud and blasting some upbeat music. In fact, the neighbor was always calling over to tell him to turn his stereo down. Later, he became a little more strict and got more religious; now he goes to mass every day. My parents split up in ’79, when I was 8. It was a pretty acrimonious break up. By then, I had a younger brother and sister, and we would go see my dad every other weekend. There was a certain voice my mom reserved only for my dad—when she would pick up the phone and use this voice, I knew it was him: “Oh hello.” There was a lot of animosity there for a long time, but as of the last couple of years, we have all shared Thanksgiving together for the first time since 1978, which has been really nice. My little brother now has a kid, so that brings everybody together."

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Kudos

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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Are We There Yet? in Books

Jul 1, 2021

Are We There Yet?

Kathleen West | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A heartfelt look at parenting and growing up

Alice Sullivan is an interior designer and mom whose nearly perfect life goes off the rails when her son Teddy gets in trouble bullying at school. The same day she learns her daughter Adrian is having trouble keeping up in second grade. Soon Alice learns Teddy is caught up in a social media battle with another kid and she's rapidly being subjected to the judgement of the other moms. This includes her good friend, Meredith, whose daughter Sadie may be more involved than Meredith realizes. Then, Alice finds herself reeling further when her mom, Evelyn, reveals a long-held secret. Alice needs to stop caring what other people think--and starting focusing on her family. Fast.

This book was one of those happy surprises, where it was even better than I expected. It was real and captivating, highlighting how difficult it is to be both a parent and kid in the digital age. The story is expertly told from a variety of perspectives--Alice, Meredith, Teddy, Evelyn, and Sadie.

West does such a great job of portraying the interconnected people, both kids and parents, in her tale. All are mostly trying their best but often failing while some are judging others. Yet it seems like their world falls apart anyway. Everyone's story was told in such a unique voice, and I could not help but feel so sorry for these kids trying to survive in a digital age, and their parents attempting to maintain some type of control.

Overall, this is excellent book--very timely, realistic, and both heartbreaking and hopeful. 4.25 stars.