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A review by kriskelly
Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel by Val Emmich
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’d give this book 3.5 stars overall!
I’ve been a fan of the Dear Evan Hansen musical since it originally premiered on Broadway, so this book was highly anticipated for me to read. Overall, I was intrigued by this book, but there were some aspects I wish they improved on.
TW: suicide, anxiety, mental health
This adaptation of the story provides a new insight, with additional details that the Broadway production does not mention. One of the aspects that I truly enjoyed was how in depth they go with Connor Murphy - the character who ends his life. It was intriguing how there were multiple chapters from Connor’s perspective to step away from Evan Hansen’s point of view. Connor brings up a character named Miguel multiple times, which is exclusive to the book, but adds so much background. I wish they included more background on that in the musical adaptation.
Speaking of Evan Hansen himself, that’s one aspect of the book I disliked. Evan as a character is quite honestly not a good person. The main plot of this book is that he gets caught up in this lie about being Connors friend to comfort his family, but I’m more so convinced that it’s because he desperately wanted to be close to Zoe Murphy (aka Connor’s sister). One part of the story that particularly made me uncomfortable was this quote: “These flowers should be for Zoe, as a gesture of, well, my affection or whatever, but instead I’m giving them to her mother because she lost her son” (pg 100). How low could you go with that line? I’m not convinced that Evan is truly deserving of praise from his actions.
I have much more opinions, but overall, there are parts of this book that I think that could be improved. I would highly recommend watching the musical, as I liked that adaptation more than the book. But overall this was an interesting read!
I’ve been a fan of the Dear Evan Hansen musical since it originally premiered on Broadway, so this book was highly anticipated for me to read. Overall, I was intrigued by this book, but there were some aspects I wish they improved on.
TW: suicide, anxiety, mental health
This adaptation of the story provides a new insight, with additional details that the Broadway production does not mention. One of the aspects that I truly enjoyed was how in depth they go with Connor Murphy - the character who ends his life. It was intriguing how there were multiple chapters from Connor’s perspective to step away from Evan Hansen’s point of view. Connor brings up a character named Miguel multiple times, which is exclusive to the book, but adds so much background. I wish they included more background on that in the musical adaptation.
Speaking of Evan Hansen himself, that’s one aspect of the book I disliked. Evan as a character is quite honestly not a good person. The main plot of this book is that he gets caught up in this lie about being Connors friend to comfort his family, but I’m more so convinced that it’s because he desperately wanted to be close to Zoe Murphy (aka Connor’s sister). One part of the story that particularly made me uncomfortable was this quote: “These flowers should be for Zoe, as a gesture of, well, my affection or whatever, but instead I’m giving them to her mother because she lost her son” (pg 100). How low could you go with that line? I’m not convinced that Evan is truly deserving of praise from his actions.
I have much more opinions, but overall, there are parts of this book that I think that could be improved. I would highly recommend watching the musical, as I liked that adaptation more than the book. But overall this was an interesting read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, and Self harm