Perfect for fans of We Are Okay and The Thing about Jellyfish, this witty and achingly beautiful coming of age story will tackle what it means to be alive, loved, and trusting in a world gone mad...
All 14-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Thomas wants is normalcy. But a global pandemic prevents him from having anything close to a typical teenager's life. When Wolfgang discovers his father dead in bed from the coronavirus, his world is thrust into even more turmoil and chaos. Wolfgang and his 16-year-old brother, Van Gogh, know that they must do everything they can to stay together and avoid foster care. In a cross-country road trip, they hit the road in their father's Pontiac to find their only hope: the mother who abandoned them a decade ago. As they journey for answers to their mother's whereabouts, they uncover devastating mysteries about her that they never could have imagined. Just as they near their destination, tragedy strikes once more. Wolfgang is drowning in fear and pain, but he must pull it together or lose his family for good. Can this broken adolescent find the strength and courage to Breathe Deep & Swim?
The fast pacing carries readers along nicely, though given the novel’s short length, the ending feels rushed. The real strength of this story lies in Wolfgang and Van Gogh’s relationship and their journey to learn secrets about their family while delving into self-discovery at the same time —their joint race against sickness, vulnerability, and family destruction is heart-rending in its authenticity. Ultimately, Wolfgang develops trust in himself, rather than just relying on his big brother to protect him.
The bond between Wolfgang and Van Gogh is justifiably front and center, and Marcus invests such detail in it that side characters, even those important to the story line, are not fully fleshed out by comparison. Some feel flat, such as the boys’ father, who is presented without much nuance as a Covid denying Trump supporter, his political orientation coming across not as a trait to explore and attempt to understand but as shorthand for his simply being a bad person. This portrayal is sure to be polarizing, especially as he’s at the heart of the story: The boys’ rocky and strained relationship with him wreaks havoc on their other relationship dynamics. Still, teen readers looking for realistic contemporary adventure and strong sibling dynamics will delight in the Thomas brothers’ quick-moving journey.
Takeaway: A fast-paced and timely exploration of brotherly love in the midst of family and political turmoil.
Great for fans of: Gayle Forman’s if I Stay, Jandy Nelson’s The Sky is Everywhere.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
