All He Knew. Helen Frost. 2020. [August] 272 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Henry comes here on a Greyhound bus.
Slow, along the bumpy road, his mother
in the seat beside him, sitting straight
and tall, her nostrils pinched, her words
held deep inside. She understands by now
that Henry cannot hear them.
Premise/plot: All He Knew is Helen Frost's newest verse novel. It is inspired by her own family history. (Though the book is fictional.) Henry, our hero, has been deaf since an illness when he was a toddler. He is able to talk--though he often chooses NOT to talk--but he is unable to hear. The novel chronicles his time at a home for the "feeble-minded." Henry is NOT "feeble-minded" but he's been deemed "unteachable" by the powers that be. His family hands him over to an institution.
All He Knew is set in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Most of the novel is set at the institution--Riverview. Over half the novel is told through Henry's perspective. (He's very observant and kind despite being treated cruelly for years.) But part of the novel is told through the perspective of Victor a new attendant who is a conscientious objector to the war. As the war progresses, more and more attendants are replaced. The residents--including Billy and his friends--are treated with more respect, dignity, and care.
Will Henry--who still thinks of his family and his home--ever get to leave Riverview?
My thoughts: I would give this one a million stars (out of five). It was an incredibly compelling read. I loved, loved, loved Henry. I loved his sister, Molly. I loved Victor. I loved the smidgen of a hint that a romance may, may, may develop between the two--when the time is right. I thought the characterization was excellent and the poetry well crafted.
I would definitely recommend this one.
© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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