What They Always Tell Us

Though a surprisingly easy read, this is a beautiful and compellingly powerful coming-of-age and "coming out" story of love, reconciliation and the strength that comes from being true to yourself. With his parents gone to an out-of-town wedding, the story opens with younger brother Alex spending his first weekend alone after recovering from an unexplained suicide attempt. He devotes much of this down time pondering the resultant emotional distances between himself and those around him - particularly his now stand-offish friends and, even more so, his brother. He realizes he is only "going through the motions" with his familial interactions yet the reader senses some deeply buried optimism within Alex as he takes a "big brother" type of interest in the fatherless ten-year-old boy (Henry) who, with his mother, is just moving in across the street. Meanwhile, Alex' brother James - who is spending that same weekend in a local LaQuinta "love nest" with yet another new girlfriend - is dealing with somewhat similar angst of his own as he tries to figure out the recently deteriorated relationship with his sibling as well as the shallowness he perceives in himself and in most of his friends. As Alex and then James show and share their avuncular concerns for the much younger Henry and as James' best friend Nathen takes a strong personal interest in Alex when he starts to mentor Alex in their mutual love of distance running, the two brothers begin to reconnect with each other AND with those around them in a very comforting way. It is track star Nathen who, in a sweet and touching scene, is finally able to get Alex to open up about why he tried to commit suicide. There are a few realistic bumps on the story's various reconciliatory paths but because of the two boys' innate goodness and strengths, the roads are navigated with relative ease. There IS drama here but it's mostly quiet and contemplative. The author has written a remarkable first novel. Even the book's secondary characters - Henry's mother as well as the boys' parents and friends - are almost totally third dimensional and believable in what they say and do - and in what they DON'T say and DON'T do. This was a great book (for young adults as well as not-so-young adults) and I hope that "critic" Joan's son got the chance to read it before his mother took the book away in order to pen her disagreeable "review." ;-)

This book is wonderfully well written, a beautiful story of the life of a teen who is struggling with identity issues (and weren't we all at that age). I recommend this book to anyone who has experienced the pain of trying to come to terms with themselves and their family. It made me want to call my brother, just to tell him I love him despite of our opposite views of the world. Well done!!!

Martin Wilson crafts a wonderful tale of teenage friendship, troubles & love (both familial & otherwise) among 4 boys that are growing up in suburban Alabama. "What They Always Tell Us" masterfully portrays today's teenage voice in a way to which almost anyone can relate. Much like an Altman film, Wilson creates characters that have their own disparate stories & then come together in a not unremarkable way. The writing style is also reminiscent of Louis de Bernières. Though the subject matter may rarely veer into the risque, it is never sensational nor is it used for anything other than logical plot advancement. (It is useful to keep in mind that Holden Caulfield's language was a bit racy, too.) Wilson's writing is ebullient without being pedantic, a rare trait in first-time authors. I would without reservation recommend this book for any person that enjoys a well-written, smart & relateable novel that cleverly and successfully explores teenage life.

Wish this book had been around when I was a kid. Believable characters in real life situations. The author does not speak down to his target audience. He speaks to them on their level, using language that they would use, not the watered-down, sugar-sweet language that I remember reading. I also find it amazing how even secondary characters are so multidimensional. Cannot recommend this book enough, to people of all ages.

There is something very comforting about this book. Sitting down and reading it took me back to my own teenage years and the way with which Wilson captures that familiarity is very cool. I didn't grow up anywhere near Alabama and yet what these characters go through rang very true to me. Everything from the relationship between the two brothers to the storyline with the neighbor's kid. Very simply written and yet smart and complex. The fact that both the writer's sense of humor and connection to the material comes across so easily is only one of many great aspects about this book. I was very pleased.