Review: Being Henry David by Cal Armistead

Title: Being Henry David
Author: Cal Armistead
Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Albert Whitman Teen (March 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 080750615X
ISBN-13: 978-0807506158
[Amazon]
Source: NetGalley

Seventeen-year-old "Hank" has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything --who he is, where he came from, why he's running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. And so he becomes Henry David-or "Hank" and takes first to the streets, and then to the only destination he can think of--Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Cal Armistead's remarkable debut novel is about a teen in search of himself. Hank begins to piece together recollections from his past. The only way Hank can discover his present is to face up to the realities of his grievous memories. He must come to terms with the tragedy of his past, to stop running, and to find his way home. [Goodreads]

Goodreads | Amazon

 

Review

Being Henry David is one of those books that hits you hard right where it hurts.  It grabs your emotions and rips them from you until there is nothing but pain left.  But it’s worth the pain.  Being Henry David is beautiful.  It’s sad.  It’s redemptive.

After reading Asheley’s review at Into the Hall of Books,  I knew I needed to read this book.  I went to NetGalley, it was still available, and I got it.  Yes, yes I did.

This book, y’all, this book.  I finished it a couple days ago and have been mulling it over.  Goodness, Armistead is a brilliant writer and storyteller.  This is a gripping story, infective story.  It had me reading late into the night several times just to get a few more chapters of the story read.  I wanted to, nay, needed to know what was going to happen next to Hank.

The characters were so real.  Depth of the characters, even in the auxiliary cast, was so impressive.  There’s normally at least once person in a book that I don’t believe in, but everyone in this book is so real.  And Thomas, if you don’t have a special place in your heart for Thomas, then your heart is made of stone…I loved Thomas [in that fatherly respect kind of way]!

This is a book that will haunt you, keep you enraptured, and move you.  Add it to your TBR…like yesterday!

4 Moons

Get to reading,