Title: The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley
Publisher: Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Genre: Young Adult Fiction - Contemporary, Romance, Loss/Grief, Realistic Fiction
Release Date: January 20, 2015
Source: eARC provided by the publisher, opinions are honest and my own. – review policy here.
Andy, Andrew, Drew, whatever
Drew is 17-years-old and squats in a hospital after his family's death. He spends all of his time wandering the hospital, visiting friends (patients and employees), and avoiding Death. Drew hates Death and can draw. There are a few other spoilery characteristics but it doesn't go much deeper. I really struggled to connect with Drew beyond his grief. I could make a few assumptions about his character to justify his actions but that'd just be guessing.As he runs aimlessly through the halls...
There's a lot going on! Drew's friends Trevor and Lexi are hanging on in pediatric oncology. The slew of nurse friends and enemies. The cafeteria workers. And Rusty. Rusty is probably my favorite secondary character. It's when Rusty is bought into the ICU burn unit that Drew begins to break his routine, makes promises he can't keep, and realizes time is running out. Much like Drew's aimless days so goes the plot. The character building is reserved for the second string but fails to balance the story.
The shining star!
By far one of the coolest things is when we get to see pages from Drew's 'Patient F' comic. The images are dark bringing clarity to his state of mind, the grief and even the break in his reality. They are the character, humanity and depth that the narrative is missing. I really think a full length graphic novel depicting the duel worlds would've been AH-MAZING!
In the end, I just wasn't invested.
As I reached the last quarter or so I found myself skimming through the words seeking dialogue towards a resolution. In the end the climax was underwhelming, rushed and left me with a major question about Drew...
2 Stars – Just a few stages short of a full read.
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