Publisher: Katherine Tegen
330 pages
Hardcover
I’m not going to lie, when I first picked up The Beginning of Everything by Robyn
Schneider, the retrospective first person point of view threw me in its
unusualness. But, after a few chapters, once I was more acclimated, the wit and
heart of the lyrical writing truly pulled me in, and I felt silly for not
seeing it right away.
Ezra Faulkner is forced into the kind of self-discovery we
all hope to have, but that many of us are too afraid to really attempt. After a
car accident leaves the once top tennis player permanently benched with a
seriously damaged knee, he no longer fits in with his athlete friends. Yet, something
many would see as totally negative, for Ezra is ultimately more bittersweet.
For the first time, Ezra is able to see how superficial and unsupportive the
people he called his friends really were. Open to forging new friendships, Ezra
meets new girl Cassidy Thorpe and reunites with his childhood best friend, whose
unusual tragedy years early cemented him on the unpopular list, ultimately
separating him from Ezra. Surrounded by people who actually care about and
challenge him for the first time, Ezra is finally asked what he wants, who he
is, and most importantly who he wants to be. Discovering the answers to these
questions propels Ezra in a completely different direction than he was headed
before, this time, on his own terms.
The Beginning
of Everything is a coming of age story, unrivaled in quality of
storytelling by any of its contemporaries. Schneider beautifully captures and
represents a guy on the peak of major self-discovery, and the people who help
him along the ride. While there is no specific plot focus, or major tension
that needs to be solved, the clear focus on Ezra and his search to figure
himself out never feels stagnant, or leaves you feeling as though there is not
a specific direction to the story. The writing is beautifully lyrical, and flows so perfectly
that major plot points, puzzles, and bits of foreshadowing are laid, but
they’re so casually and cleverly included that you absorb them in the same way
you do every other detail. My favorite part of the novel is how everyone is
fallible. It is their imperfections – their pasts, their secrets, and
insecurities, which act as the catalyst, which brings the characters together, or
in some cases, pulls them apart. Ezra’s friendships, and especially his relationship
with Cassidy, are some of the most honest representations of how difficult a
relationship can be, that I have seen in a long time.
The
Beginning of Everything is a must read. It will make you
laugh with its sharp wit, cry with the injustice of Ezra's past and current
circumstance, and most importantly you will never want to reach the last page
because leaving Ezra's world is almost a painful for the reader, as walking
without a cane is for Ezra. I absolutely loved this book.
Rating 10/10
*** I received a copy of this novel from the publisher to
read and honestly review. I was in no way compensated.
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