Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Saturday, December 12, 2015

The Adults by Alison Espach...

How I Heard About It:  For about a year now I've been listening to books on audio during my commute to and from work.  Not sure why I didn't start this 25 years ago, but I'm sure glad I have now.  During one visit to the local library I was browsing the shelves for an audio book to listen to next.  This title popped out and I remembered reading or hearing about it awhile back.  

What It Is About:  Emily is trying to be an adult, but finds that it isn't as easy as she thought it was or appeared to be.  Of course she doesn't have the best role models.  Her parents divorce after it is found out that her father has been having an affair with the neighbor lady.  Life gets even more complicated when the neighbor man kills himself in front of Emily.  She is even more shocked when she learns that her father is going to be a father again when the neighbor lady announces she is pregnant with his baby.  Because her home life is so "messy", Emily looks to her friends and teachers to fill in the voids she is experiencing.  After meeting "Mr. Basketball" who is one of Emily's teachers, she becomes an adult faster than any young person should.  Emily life is a balancing act between taking care of her mother and her father and navigating her way through high school, college, and adulthood.  

What I Thought Of It:  I enjoyed listening to the story very much.  There were a few spots where I thought the plot moved along a bit slow, but overall the story was full of twists and turns and plenty of surprises.  Part of the story line disturbed me as a reader, but isn't this was good stories can sometimes do to us.  The actions of the characters were true to life.  I found myself liking them at certain times during the book and at other times they were not the easiest to like.  The story is definitely a character study of individuals trying to grow up and relate to each other as a family.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to listen to this work of fiction.  

Who Should Read It:  The book is for all those readers who enjoy adult fiction and well-written literature.  I wouldn't say there was an overly amount of "action" in the story, but enough to keep the reader interested.  It is difficult to grow up and try to figure out "adulthood" and this is a story that tries to uncover ways to do that with ease, grace and understanding.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars

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