This Is Just Exactly Like You (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky look at a marriage falling apart. NC couple of with a 6 yr old autistic son, mother can't handle it any longer, story told from father/husband's perspective. Winsome. Odd conversations/arguments between the estranged couple; I never could figure out whether that was due to poor dialogue writing or intentional to show their surreal relationship and his lack of understanding about what was going on and why... This a pretty interesting story about Jack a man who's wife Beth walks out on him and their autistic 6 year old son Henderick. The story opens up on a few days after she leaves. what makes it strange is she leaves and goes to his best friend's house Canavan. She still continues to see their son dropping by and scolding jack about Hen. This book pretty much takes you thru from there to about 2-3 weeks out as Jack processes and neglects to deal with what has happened to him. Its very clear that Jack allows things to happen to him. He doesn't fight back, get angry or do much of anything. Life happens around jack and he just is. Thats the underlying theme of this book. He doesn't even address Beth leaving him he's afraid to even ask er why. His worker's Butner and Ernesto wonder why he doesn't do anything, stand up for himself anything. Everyone what;s Jack to just do something. jack doesn't know how to feel he's used to Beth telling him that, he pretty much has it in his house this will all blow over. Jack continues living in his fog until, and accident brings Rena, Canavan's ex into his life who is just as surprised about the Beth and Canavan situation and Hen starts speaking spanish. Not repeating things he has heard has real conversations in spanish. The story is a lot of dialogue, the pauses, and nuisances you would expect from a guy who has no backbone and can't even bring himself to ask his wife why she walked out but still visits every single day. Some people may be turned off by the writing style because its dialogue heavy, there isn't too much location set up as it all takes place in the same town with the same small set of characters. There aren't any chapters the story breaks in various parts throughout the book. i read it because i thought it was a fictional story about a father dealing with his son's autism but its not, its about a man who instead of living life, life happens to him and what if anything he will do about it.
What do You think about This Is Just Exactly Like You (2010)?
REALLY liked it. Easy to get lost. Enjoyed perspective of a male character.
—trust_no1
Loved this book. Quirky characters. Complications of relationships. Funny.
—Vicky
3.5. Enjoyed the characterization and concept.
—lau
