What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson

"'...She said, 'Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt you.'
'Yeah, that's what they always tell us.'"

My Rating: 9/10

Publisher: Random House (Delacorte Press)
Publication: 2008
ISBN: 978-0-385-73507-0
Page Count: 288 Pages
Ages: Young Adult

What They Always Tell Us is Martin Wilson's debut novel. It is written in a simple way, although as a reader I feel like it was just filled with emotions unspoken with words.

The book started with Alex's perspective. Alex is a junior who recently became a misfit. A social outcast, but the kind that wasn't picked on. You name it. But that happened even before he drank the Pine-Sol in a party. After that, everyone just started calling him a freak.

His older brother, James, deep down, probably do too, to Alex.

James--like everyone else--asked Alex why he did it. Not that Alex ever answers, of course. So James, like everyone else, starts to ignore Alex too.

James just wants to get out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Start over everything he messed up.

Alex, on the other hand, just wants...something. He doesn't know yet.

Then there's Nathen, who's always nice to Alex (even after the Pine-Sol "accident"--as James and their parents calls it). One night, Alex started jogging again like he used to and he met Nathen on the way.

Nathen encouraged Alex to join the cross country team. Alex wants to know why he's nice to Alex. Why he's always been nice to Alex.

There's also Henry, a 10 year old kid who lives next to Alex and James. A puzzle piece out of the place in Tuscaloosa. Henry, the kid who reads the DICTIONARY. (Click here for Henry's word of the week! Good for SAT/ACT, people!)

What They Always Tell Us tells a different yet still heart breaking story about first love, boy to boy and how a teenager cope with ex-friends, exes, brothers, family and most of all; life.

What I love about this book: Okay, so first of all, I'd never thought I'd read a boy-boy/girl-girl love kind of thing. Don't get me wrong, I have NO PROBLEM with it. But I liked this book. A lot. Because it's meaningful, and it's a good piece of literature. It's always nice to get glimpses of someone else's life who is totally the opposite. I like how Martin Wilson switches perspective from Alex and James, and I like how the characters developed throughout the book. :D

What I dislike about this book: The beginning was a bit slow for me, the first 2 chapters. But I understand that Martin Wilson was trying to set the story up, so it's all good! :)

Martin Wilson's Official What They Always Tell Us Web Page

Thank you, Martin, for the signed copy!! :D

P.S: I highly recommend this book if you really like books. If you can't handle the boy-boy part, then just don't read it really.