This review is part of Melody’s Summer Reading: Diversity Spotlight. Enjoy!
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Release Date: March 1, 2012
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1419701764
Source: Bought
Add it to Goodreads
Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.
Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.
Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.
And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was just as odd and lovable as I’d hoped it would be and even more odd and lovable than I could have ever imagined. The characters were so legit. So three dimensional and so much fun. The genuine factors of Greg, Earl, Rachel and many of the minor characters’ personalities made this so entertaining and frustrating and captivating with each and every line and did I mention, entertaining?
I haven’t laughed out loud during a book this much in I don’t know how long. Yes, some of the jokes went a little long and I grew a bit tired with them running on but for the most part, the pacing of the jokes was quick and the mashup of unconventional structures really worked here, making the story even more engaging and entertaining than it would have been straightforward. The various structures really flowed smoothly and I never felt disconnected from the story. I was engaged the entire time.
Now Me and Earl and the Dying Girl doesn’t take itself seriously at all while at the same time it’s so mercilessly honest and acknowledges so many things that many are too afraid to face head on. This book is silly and full of nonsense but it’s also full of gems about being a decent human being and what it means to live in an indecent world as we follow a kid who reconnects with a friend he never would have reconnected with had that friend not gotten cancer and his mom forced (yes, forced) him to hang out with her while she dies. The author doesn’t tip toe around this awkward ever and that’s what makes this story so great.
Seeing the dynamics and how Greg, Earl, and Rachel grow over the course of the book, how they grow yet remain strained and still, it’s so real oh my goodness. Thank goodness for books like these that really nail the strain, the tug of war in friendships, new and old, with real life run you over with a truck conflicts that totally upends people’s lives. This book. Ah. So much love and appreciation, I can’t even begin to tell you.
This book has so much character, so much voice and after watching Jesse Andrews at one of the Teen Author Carnival panels earlier this year, it’s so clear to me that no one other than Jesse Andrews could have ever written this book. His humor is tied into this book so seamlessly, it’s quite a spectacular sight. I’m so happy that I finally read this book! I’m so happy. Just looking at the cover now gives me so many feels because I know the words within the pages and they touched me so and not in a super duper deep way, just with super strong feelings of admiration for the authentic tale that this is which is unfortunately pretty rare.
This is a no holds barred, profanity ridden reality of three kids stuck in tough places and how they deal and it’s great. Now because the humor kind of ran itself too thin at times, I can’t say that I am over the moon in love with this novel but I appreciate this book so much and it holds such a special place in my heart, that I would definitely recommend this book to quite a handful of people who I know would absolutely yearn for this honesty, really get and appreciate this voice and style, and love it as a whole. Now, to watch the movie adaptation which I’ve heard nothing but good things about. And I’m off!
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews is available today.