Simon Sort of Says

 I spent the first several chapters of Simon Sort of Says eagerly awaiting the big moment where the author would reveal what tragedy caused Simon's PTSD. That didn't feel right - to be anticipating the description of a tragedy. And I couldn't figure out whether I should be ashamed of feeling that way or whether I should blame the author for structuring the story such that she didn't immediately reveal why Simon is so traumatized but alluding to a horrible event in his past ad nauseam. I did worry she was going to make me wait until the last chapter of the book to get the big reveal, but the truth - that Simon was the sole survivor of a school shooting - came out about halfway through the book. To be fair, if I had read the dust jacket before I read the book, I would have already known. Perhaps then I wouldn't have been so eager to hear a violent story. 

School shootings are completely nonsensical. They are. I can't even wrap my mind around why they happen and how senselessly tragic they are and perhaps that's why they are so completely fascinating - even fictional ones like the one depicted in this book. I can't even BEGIN to understand the trauma someone in Simon's shoes would experience and so I am totally in awe of this author for attempting to do so. I think what she did was important and relevant.

A note about the characters of this book: 

- Simon, Kevin and Agate all seem way too mature to be middle-schoolers. All their conversations are sophisticated, all their quips are clever and almost all their reactions are tempered and appropriate, even when they're in the middle of trauma episodes or panic attacks. But, while I did not think they were realistic middle-schoolers, I did find all three of them to be very likable.

-Simon's parents are so cool. Like, the most ideal pair of understanding and loving parents that someone in a traumatic situation could want. They honestly made me want to be a better parent. This is what the world needs! Better parents!