Everything, Somewhere by David Duane Kummer
3.5 stars
Everything, Somewhere is a small town coming-of-age story set in a fictional Ohio town.
The three main teenagers are Hudson, Mason and Willow and chapters alternate between them. In addition there are also chapters from several adults: Mason’s dad, a Hollywood star, a journalist and some robbers. The story has a strong mental health awareness theme, as well as addressing the pressures which many teenagers face when growing up.
I enjoyed the small town setting and I thought that the author portrayed this well; I could easily imagine the scenes. I liked the stories behind the three teenagers too, and would have been happy if chapters had just been from their points of view. I felt that giving so many chapters to other characters watered down the narrative and I was constantly picking up the threads of each story as we changed chapters each time.
I felt this was a bit ambitious for a first book. With a bit more work on the character development of the teenagers, and cutting back of other players, the narrative could have been tighter to make this the interesting story that it deserved to be.
View all my reviews on Goodreads
The power of memories.
Little Rush is a sleepy town on the Ohio River. Bruce Michaels is a renowned Hollywood actor. The two should never cross paths, yet one summer everything changes. The actor, haunted by demons, chasing a ghost. The town, unaware. Until the two collide.
Hudson, Willow, and Mason are high school seniors with very different upbringings, but all on the verge of adulthood. As the sun sets on their final summer, questions abound. Will they ever leave the town? Is there a future here? As their plans waver, time is running out.
The struggle of mental illness.
As he loses his friends and sinks deeper into depression, Hudson forms an unlikely bond with the actor, Bruce Michaels. But the old man is a ticking time bomb. As Hudson relies on him more, the danger to them both grows.
When dark secrets are revealed, Hudson must confront the truth about his idol and himself. Bruce Michaels isn’t who he seems. Hudson is nearly lost. And in the end, they may be more similar than different.
The search for meaning.
Different paths, converging in a web of alcohol, fights, and romance. Worlds collide one summer in Anywhere, USA. The question is who will make it through.
EVERYTHING, SOMEWHERE is an ambitious, sprawling look at the stories, people, and places forming the nuanced landscape of rural America.
Rosie Amber 