Review: See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Title: See You at Harry's
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Release date: May 8th 2012
Pages: 320
Genre: MG; contemporary
Source: NetGalley - thank you to Candlewick and NetGalley for providing a free eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads


Goodreads description:

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she's not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn't know he's gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there's Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone's world. He's devoted to Fern, but he's annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn't for Ran, Fern's calm and positive best friend, there'd be nowhere to turn. Ran's mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it's true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


I loved Jo Knowles's Jumping Off Swings and Lessons from a Dead Girl, so I knew the writing and execution of this book would be great. But I didn't know whether See You at Harry's would work for me personally, since it's MG and not YA - I know a lot of people don't mind, but I don't usually like reading books where the main character is a lot younger than me. In See You at Harry's, though, that wasn't a problem, and I ended up loving it!


I don't want to say too much about the plot. I went in knowing almost nothing about this book, and I really think that's the best way to enjoy it - knowing what the "tragedy" is would have taken a lot from it. So I'll do my best not to spoil anything.


Like I said, I was worried about not being able to connect with the main character because of our age difference, but I ended up loving Fern. She has a distinct voice and you can't help but feel for her. She reminded me a lot of myself when I was that age. Except, you know, I never had to deal with anything like she has to deal with.


I love how family-focused See You at Harry's is. Each member of the family has a complex and dynamic personality. I love how the kids are all named after literary characters - such great symbolism! Charlie is adorable, of course, and I loved Holden. I really like how the topic of his sexuality is handled. I couldn't immediately understand Sarah, but she, too, grew on me. The dad is so, so sweet. The only character I wish we could have known some more about is the mom, but I guess us not seeing as much of her is kind of the point.


Fern's friends, Ran and Cassie, are great characters, too. Ran is adorable. His family owns a company that sells these awesome t-shirts that Ran is always wearing, and I loved those - I want shirts like that, too! The dynamics between Ran, Fern and Cassie are great, but I like that the family stayed the main focus of the novel.


The emotions are what's best about See You at Harry's. Again, I can't say too much, but...wow. I've read a lot of books dealing with grief, but for some reason, they always start after the loved one has already died, and I like that in See You at Harry's, we get to be with the family before, during and after the accident. That made the emotions that much more raw. I cried so much while reading See You at Harry's. Not, like, holding back a few tears, but full-out bawling. Seriously, I think I was crying for more than half of the time while reading this book. Jo Knowles just has a way of pulling at my heartstrings with every word she writes. All the sadness nearly killed me. But I love how at the end, we get to see it's not all sad - the ending restores your hope without being too happy and unrealistic.


***This paragraph contains spoilers!!!***
All the relationships between the different members of the family are great, but there is one thing I didn't really get - Charlie's role in the family. It's mentioned a few times that Charlie is the star of the family, that everyone loves him so, so much, and that the parents take care of him in a way they never took care of Fern (according to Fern). There are a few times when Fern talks about how she's jealous of Charlie because of that - I remember, in particular, how when Fern and Charlie used to share a room, and their parents came in to check on Charlie at night, Fern wishes the mom would, for once, check on her, too. So it looks like the typical youngest-child-gets-all-the-attention kind of thing. But, at the same time, it seems like the parents never have time for Charlie - he's always asking Fern to play with him because no one else will, and after the accident, the whole family feels guilty for not having spent more time with him. Combining those two ideas just didn't make much sense to me.


I loved See You at Harry's, and I'm very impressed by Jo Knowles's writing - she's quickly turning into one of my favorite authors! With raw, heartbreaking emotion, See You at Harry's is a beautiful portrayal of how one tragic accident can tear a family apart - and how you could possibly put it back together again. Read it if you're in the mood for some crying!


If you've read this book, what did you think?