Title: The History of Jane DoeAuthor: Michael Belanger
Publisher: Dial Books
Published Date: June 5th 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Mental Health, YA
Page Count:304
Format: ebook
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Goodreads Summary:
A poignant, deeply funny coming-of-age story about first love, first loss, and the power of history to give life meaning.
History buff Ray knows everything about the peculiar legends and lore of his rural Connecticut hometown. Burgerville's past is riddled with green cow sightings and human groundhogs, but the most interesting thing about the present is the new girl--we'll call her Jane Doe.
Inscrutable, cool, and above all mysterious, Jane seems as determined to hide her past as Ray is to uncover it. As fascination turns to friendship and then to something more, Ray is certain he knows Jane's darkest, most painful secrets and Jane herself--from past to present. But when the unthinkable happens, Ray is forced to acknowledge that perhaps history can only tell us so much.
Mixing humor with heartache, this is an unmissable coming-of-age story from an exciting new voice in YA.
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My Review:
Thank you to First To Read for a free e-copy to read/review.
The History of Jane Doe follows Ray who is coming to terms with one of his best friends leaving suddenly. We have no idea how she left or why. This really affects Ray and his other best friend Simon whose lives she completely changed for the better. Before Jane: Ray and Simon were nerds and the social outcasts of there school. In fact, no one really talked to them unless it was to pick on them, that all changed on the day that Jane showed up. She started talking to Ray and they quickly became friends. They go on adventures together as a group, and she gets them to stop following all the rules so closely. Ray is also a big history buff and I loved his little tidbits about the small town they lived in and how it really made it seem like a real place.
We also see multiple different sides of Jane. She has one she puts out for most of the world, and then the other part where she is really struggling with depression and guilt for something that happened in her past.
Overall I absolutely adored this book. Belanger did such a good job of showing real high school life, mental health, and family life. He handled it all with humor though while also having very serious moments that need to be talked about more and shown in a way that is easy to understand. The struggle that Ray faces because of what happens to Jane is one that so many people go through anymore sadly. I am so glad I took a chance on this book as it is one of my favorite humor real life reads.
I highly recommend this book if you want to read something dealing with mental health, small town, and just real life in general in a fun and realistic way.
Thank you to First To Read for a free e-copy to read/review.
“For someone who'd lived his whole life moving backward, slow felt like a hundred miles per hour.”
The History of Jane Doe follows Ray who is coming to terms with one of his best friends leaving suddenly. We have no idea how she left or why. This really affects Ray and his other best friend Simon whose lives she completely changed for the better. Before Jane: Ray and Simon were nerds and the social outcasts of there school. In fact, no one really talked to them unless it was to pick on them, that all changed on the day that Jane showed up. She started talking to Ray and they quickly became friends. They go on adventures together as a group, and she gets them to stop following all the rules so closely. Ray is also a big history buff and I loved his little tidbits about the small town they lived in and how it really made it seem like a real place.
We also see multiple different sides of Jane. She has one she puts out for most of the world, and then the other part where she is really struggling with depression and guilt for something that happened in her past.
“Fine as in fine? Or fine as in I-don't-feel-like-talking-about-my-problems-fine?" "Fine as in we're-all-spinning-a-thousand-miles-an-hour-on-a-piece-of-rock-in-the-middle-of-space-and-we're-on-our-own fine.”
I highly recommend this book if you want to read something dealing with mental health, small town, and just real life in general in a fun and realistic way.
“I'm starting to realize that each what contains a multitude of whys. That history is only a word for academics; it surrounds us, all of the pieces floating in space, able to be built and rebuilt like a game of Jenga.”
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