The Namesake Review

Normally when I review a book, I either love it or feel neutral about it. But the book I discuss below I really didn't care for. You know how when you read a really good book, it only takes you a few days to find time to race through it (or one day if it's really good)? This book took me almost the full month to get through it, because at no point did I ever think, "I really want to find out what happens next." In fact, I dreaded reading this book. And I procrastinated as much as I possibly could. But when it came down to it, I had to finish it before the submission deadline. If the author of the book is reading this, I'm really really sorry for the negative review.

I also have to say that the first time I saw this book where I work at Barnes & Noble, judging from the cover I had thought it was a horror book. I guess that's true to a certain degree.

The Namesake
by Steven Parlato

Gr 9 Up--Fifteen-year-old Evan Galloway is struggling to deal with his father's recent suicide, but going to the same Catholic school that his father attended and dealing with his mother's emotional detachment don't make it any easier. So when his grandmother gives him a footlocker that belonged to his father, Evan is all too eager to discover some answers to his nagging questions. He expects to find old posters and mementos, but what he doesn't count on is finding his dad's old journals. As Evan goes on a journey to connect with his late father, he makes a chilling discovery that as a boy, his father was sexually molested by a Catholic priest, and Evan is able to slowly piece together the role this played in the man's suicide. The story is powerful, and the plot is well crafted, but the writing alternates between choppy and engaging, and the dialogue often feels forced. The story is slow to unfold, and reluctant readers are unlikely to push past the first few pages. Committed and patient readers, however, will take something away from this thoughtful coming-of-age story.--"Candyce Pruitt-Goddard, Hartford Public Library, CT" Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.