This was one of several books which my mom got me for Christmas. Having just recently finished reading it, it seemed appropriate now to review it, as well.
And let me just say this right off the bat: it was a fun read. Engaging.
So yes, this was a good gift. It was the first book which I started in this new year. And I went through it quickly.
It is a book told from the perspective of a boy on the verge of becoming a young man, or who effectively kind of becomes one during the trip to Marseille which he takes with his father, and which this book is about.
Before I go on, as usual with my reviews of books and movies, I need to warn about spoilers, because there will be some ahead.
*****Spoilers*****
*****Spoilers*****
*****Spoilers*****
Okay, so if you are still reading by this point, I have to imagine that either you are already familiar with this book, or you otherwise do not mind spoilers, for whatever the reason. Please don’t say that you were not warned about spoilers.
So the narrator, Antonio, is a teenage boy seemingly racing towards adulthood. However, he seems to have these bizarre epileptic fits, which become an obvious source of concern. His parents, who were separated, now suddenly seem to come back together temporarily, in order to take care of their son. They all go to Marseille, where one of the best specialists in the field for Antonio’s condition is located. It turns out that he is relatively well, with what appears to really be only a mild case.
Antonio can resume normal teenage activities. However, there will have to be a return trip to Marseille in three years, just to confirm that his condition appears to be moderate, and he can continue on with a normal life. Antonio is aware of this, but three years in the life of a teenager is a long time, and he almost seems to forget about his condition, and the promise to visit the specialist in Marseille again.
Yet, he does need to return back to Marseille, a city in a foreign country (Antonio and his family are Italian), in a few years, just to make sure that everything is okay. He is not eager to go, but he knows he must.
As it turns out, however, this trip turns out to be very special. In a very real sense, Antonio sees the trip as "before and after," presumably the before being his childhood, and the after being his new status as a man entering the world.
His father is a huge part of it. While before, he had simply assumed that his father was guilty of having walked out on the family, on his mother and him. But after really talking to his father, not as father to son as much as man to man, he sees his father now in an entirely different light.
They are unexpectedly given more time in Marseille than expected, and so they decide t explore the city, to get to know it better. It has ana intriguing mixture of beauty, excitment, and danger. Antonio has read books which took place at least partly in the city, which impresses him. And as he and his father get to know the city better, they also get to know and understand one another better, as well. Not as an adult and a child, but as adults with a more sophisticated level of understanding. They feel on equal footing.
Ultimately, Antonio has the typical sexual urges as any teenager will have. And he ultimately seals the deal, so to speak, on this new adulthood achieved during this trip with his first real sexual experiences.
This was an entertaining and touching read. Towards the end of the book, Antonio realizes that his father is already talking about the trip in the past tense. This makes him sad, since they have both had so much fun.
And the best thing that I can say about this book is that I, as the reader, also grew a little sad at being reminded that the end of this story was fast approaching. This is the kind of a book where you want to keep reading more and more, you just want it to continue.
Highly recommended!
Also, thanks for the gift, Mom!
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