tired
WHAT THEY ALWAYS TELL US (Delacorte, 2008) is told in alternating narratives by James and his brother Alex. James is a senior; Alex a year behind. Lately, though, Alex's behavior has puzzled James and his parents. When Alex drinks some poison at a kegger, James does not know how to respond for a long time. Truth be told, neither does Alex. Slowly, the story of the two boys, each reaching past adolescence toward adulthood, reveals that sometimes there are no answers to the big questions. Sometimes reasons elude everyone. Alex and James take small steps toward each other in this novel that examines friends, family, sexuality, and much more.