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Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 06/2023
  • 9781647424817 B0B8CJHNZK
  • 256 pages
  • $17.95
J.A. Wright
Author
Eat and Get Gas
J.A. Wright, author

Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)

Thirteen-year-old Evan Hanson is always the last in her family to know what’s going on—at least, that’s how it feels. Her father, Gene, who’s been meaner since he began serving in Vietnam, isn’t around much, and she likes it better that way. But then her brother, Adam, gets drafted, and her anti-war mother, Endura, takes him across the border to Canada, leaving Evan alone with Gene and her younger, special needs brother, Teddy. When he realizes Endura isn’t returning, Gene takes Evan and Teddy to Eat and Get Gas, his mother’s café and gas station in Hoquiam, Washington. There, as well as her no-nonsense but loving grandma, Evan encounters Aunt Vivian, a teasing but caring know-it-all; Uncle Frankie, injured in Vietnam and suffering from PTSD; Paco, the draft dodger Frankie is hiding; Hal and Hubert, the strange but gentle next-door neighbors who play the piano like virtuosos and help out when they’re needed; and Louanne, Frankie’s reserved, sensitive sister. She is drawn in particular to Louanne, who was disfigured by a car accident that killed the rest of her and Frankie’s family. At Eat and Get Gas, Evan finds a new freedom, and she starts to carve out a place for herself by helping in the café and sorting mail for Uncle Frankie, who runs a postal route in addition to running the gas station. She eventually, too, learns some of the family secrets she’s been in the dark about—and comes to understand that her mother isn’t coming back any time soon. Then, after reading a letter that wasn’t meant for her, Evan discovers the biggest secret of all.
Plot/Idea: 10 out of 10
Originality: 9 out of 10
Prose: 10 out of 10
Character/Execution: 10 out of 10
Overall: 9.75 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: The blueprint for this gripping view of a displaced girl in the early 1970s hinges on secrets and lies, and deftly explores the implications of the Vietnam war on American families from all angles.

Prose: Wright brings readers straight into 13-year-old Evan’s head with clear, poignant language.

Originality: As the Vietnam war recedes in time, Eat and Get Gas reminds readers about the toxic ripples that emanated from the conflict and the mark it left on generations of Americans.

Character/Execution: Evan’s coming-of-age in the midst of political chaos and familial turmoil is palpable in this page-turner. The bonds of family come to life in Write’s characters.

Blurb: J.A. Wright explores an adolescent girl’s feelings of confusion, abandonment, and a rising desire to find her own place in life in this riveting tale.

Date Submitted: April 22, 2024

Plot/Idea: 9 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Prose: 9 out of 10
Character/Execution: 10 out of 10
Overall: 9.00 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: The novel is a coming-of-age story tied to uncovering family secrets and accepting the flaws that often accompany love. Many of the plot points intersect with the Vietnam War, and much of the characters' personalities and decisions are deeply impacted by the trauma of their involvement in that war. The story is gradually revealed through Evan's point of view, and the book's events are both relatable and unexpected—from the mistreatment of Evan by her father, to the chaotic dynamics between Evan's parents and dysfunction of the family in its entirety

Prose: Evan's first-person perspective drives home the story's emotional impact, though it limits the interiority of other characters. As Evan discovers more about the world around her, readers will gain an intimate glimpse of her vulnerability and resolve, alongside the forces at work behind the scenes in her family. The short bursts of narration build suspense for later revelations, and the author's transitions are smooth and precise.

Originality: The story's conclusion wins it major originality points, as the author leaves it satisfyingly open-ended. Readers will be left pondering Evan's future against the backdrop of this powerful portrait of a troubled family.

Character/Execution: Characters take their time to develop, but through Evan's capable eyes they gradually come to life, replete with raw, palpable emotion and intense decisions. Evan remains the brightest throughout, and her empathy for those around her will draw readers in.

Date Submitted: June 18, 2023

Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 06/2023
  • 9781647424817 B0B8CJHNZK
  • 256 pages
  • $17.95
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