A review by nematome
Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff
3.0
This book came as quite a little surprise. I recently finished The Absolute Value of -1, which was gorgeous but also full of difficult characters and had a heartbreaking ending. So, I really did not expect this book to have:
a) a sweet love story
or
b) a joyously happy ending.
Let’s review what I thought this book was about: homeless teenage runaways, intolerant parents, and gender identity. You can see why I did not think this book was going to be a happy one. But guess what? This is a lovely, happy, beautiful book!
I know that most of the people who read these reviews probably know that I am not a huge fan of over the top, happily ever after type endings. When I read an ending like that, it really challenges my ability to buy in to the story. So, I just want to say thank you thank you thank you to Steve Brezenoff for giving me a beautiful soul healing happy ending that I can actually get behind. This is the kind of happy ending that’s supported by substance, and tempered with bittersweet uncertainty; i.e. my favorite kind.
“Kid” is one of the most endearing characters I’ve come across. He’s somehow retained a large measure of youthful innocence, hope, and earnestness while dealing with her parents’ abandonment and struggling to survive as a homeless teen in Brooklyn. She’s supported by a motley and damaged group of characters that love and understand him: Konny, the Amazon goddess and comic book expert; Jonny, the affectionate prostitute who’s there every summer with free drinks and a shoulder to cry on; Fish, the bartender and substitute mother for lost teens; and Felix, the gifted musician and junkie that was his first love, and her first loss.
You may have noticed that I was a bit unclear with the pronouns there. That’s because Kid doesn’t define himself either way. We get to see this story through her eyes, as he meets and falls for someone new, but can’t stop reliving the grief of her previous summer on the street. The love interest, Scout, is addressed as “you” throughout the story (so we never get to know Scout’s gender either). I think that this lends a large amount of intimacy to the story: it’s as if Kid is sharing her bittersweet memories with a dear friend.
The only criticism I have is that the real estate developer/conspiracy plot line felt a little bit shoe-horned in to the story. But this book just made me feel so warm and content and joyful that who cares about a little thing like that? I think that this will end up with a higher rating than The Absolute Value of -1, simply because it is such a feel-good book. I recommend this for everyone!
Perfect Musical Pairing
The National – About Today
This book is also a bit of a love story to Brooklyn (with a few affectionate jabs). So of course I had to pick something from Brooklyn based The National. This song reminds me of Kid’s heart break at the assumption that Scout will eventually have to leave the neighborhood and leave her alone.
”Brooklyn was my home, and I loved it – I always had – but my heart had grown, and filling it now was Brooklyn and you. With summer ending, you could be gone – could have been already – and with my heart this big, Brooklyn didn’t stand a chance of filling it up without you. I squeezed the pick in my hand tightly, like I could hold on to you.”
a) a sweet love story
or
b) a joyously happy ending.
Let’s review what I thought this book was about: homeless teenage runaways, intolerant parents, and gender identity. You can see why I did not think this book was going to be a happy one. But guess what? This is a lovely, happy, beautiful book!
I know that most of the people who read these reviews probably know that I am not a huge fan of over the top, happily ever after type endings. When I read an ending like that, it really challenges my ability to buy in to the story. So, I just want to say thank you thank you thank you to Steve Brezenoff for giving me a beautiful soul healing happy ending that I can actually get behind. This is the kind of happy ending that’s supported by substance, and tempered with bittersweet uncertainty; i.e. my favorite kind.
“Kid” is one of the most endearing characters I’ve come across. He’s somehow retained a large measure of youthful innocence, hope, and earnestness while dealing with her parents’ abandonment and struggling to survive as a homeless teen in Brooklyn. She’s supported by a motley and damaged group of characters that love and understand him: Konny, the Amazon goddess and comic book expert; Jonny, the affectionate prostitute who’s there every summer with free drinks and a shoulder to cry on; Fish, the bartender and substitute mother for lost teens; and Felix, the gifted musician and junkie that was his first love, and her first loss.
You may have noticed that I was a bit unclear with the pronouns there. That’s because Kid doesn’t define himself either way. We get to see this story through her eyes, as he meets and falls for someone new, but can’t stop reliving the grief of her previous summer on the street. The love interest, Scout, is addressed as “you” throughout the story (so we never get to know Scout’s gender either). I think that this lends a large amount of intimacy to the story: it’s as if Kid is sharing her bittersweet memories with a dear friend.
The only criticism I have is that the real estate developer/conspiracy plot line felt a little bit shoe-horned in to the story. But this book just made me feel so warm and content and joyful that who cares about a little thing like that? I think that this will end up with a higher rating than The Absolute Value of -1, simply because it is such a feel-good book. I recommend this for everyone!
Perfect Musical Pairing
The National – About Today
This book is also a bit of a love story to Brooklyn (with a few affectionate jabs). So of course I had to pick something from Brooklyn based The National. This song reminds me of Kid’s heart break at the assumption that Scout will eventually have to leave the neighborhood and leave her alone.
”Brooklyn was my home, and I loved it – I always had – but my heart had grown, and filling it now was Brooklyn and you. With summer ending, you could be gone – could have been already – and with my heart this big, Brooklyn didn’t stand a chance of filling it up without you. I squeezed the pick in my hand tightly, like I could hold on to you.”