Pub. Date: September 8th, 2013
Publisher: Flux
229 pages
Paperback
From the first page of The
Truth About You & Me you make assumptions. Freshman college class –
must be 18; Biology – must be fairly smart. As readers we play into exactly the
kind of assumptions Bennett – her Biology instructor – would make when Madelyn
walks into his classroom. But Maddie is 16, and she makes some really stupid
decisions. Brought together by their mutual love for hiking, Madelyn’s classroom
crush is not rejected by Bennett like you would expect, but encouraged. Written
as an apology and explanation to Bennett through a letter, The Truth About You & Me tells Madelyn’s version of the
relationship and it is only as truthful and honest as you believe a character that
knowingly deceives someone she claims she loves, for months.
I truly expected that Madelyn would learn a heck of a lot
after everything she puts Bennett through. But with the majority of the novel being
comprised of a single letter, written almost immediately after the foreseeable
end to the doomed relationship, we get very little perspective after the fact.
I wanted more growth, and I wanted Madelyn to redeem herself in some way.
Instead we get a Madelyn reeling over a lost relationship, justifying her
actions. While it’s clear that Madelyn is sorry she hurt Bennett, it’s not
clear if she learned a single thing from the experience, and I strongly
disliked her for it. I felt extremely sorry for Bennett. He did knowing spend a
lot of time with a student, and planned a relationship with her after he was no
longer her teacher, but he was kept in the dark about her real age and I felt
incensed for him. Bennett comes off as genuine and as likeable as a teacher who
has a relationship with a student can be, which made my dislike for Madelyn stronger.
The letter style of the novel, even though I didn’t think it
showed much character growth, didn’t bother me in the same way as the abrupt shift
into a narrative style at the very end. I felt completely taken out of the
story and ultimately lost complete interest. I think the novel should have
ended when the letter ends. It would have been much more ambiguous, and in my
opinion the cautionary tale aspect would have been much more effective. Also
taking me out of the story, to be completely nitpicky, were inconsistencies.
Which school Madelyn’s brother was attending fluctuated between MIT and
Harvard, and these little errors became what I focus on, once I’d lost interest
in the story.
I think the story idea behind The Truth About You & Me was interesting, and the approach
unique. But, my dislike for the changing perspective, and my extremely
frustration and dislike of Madelyn, prevented me from truly enjoying this
novel.
Rating 4/10
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher to read
and honestly review. I was in no way compensated.
This review and others like it are available at
confessionsofanadultteenreader.blogspot.ca
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