The story starts when narrator Miles is 12 years old and takes us through his high school years, and a few years beyond. We also get insights from his friend Hector through some “footnotes.”
At points, the story is heart-breaking, laugh-out-loud funny and poignant. So many emotions and situations are played out that it’s certain to tug at everyone’s heart strings one way or another.
The crux of the story is that Miles’ parents are splitting up and his mother’s new boyfriend is a bit of a mystery. Miles goes from not liking or trusting him, to liking him, to hoping he can make them a normal two-parent family again, and then back to not liking him. With the help of Hector and a private investigator they hire (How they get the money is one of the really funny parts of the story.) and his own eavesdropping and surveillance techniques, Miles learns that the boyfriend – Eli – is not what he claims to be.
In the six years the story spans, Miles’ relationship with his twin sisters changes as he, and they, mature. As often happens when you’re 12 and growing up, his relationships with his friends changes. While he grows closer to Hector, other friends drift apart for various reasons. He’s also thinking about girls, sex and his own weight issues.
We also learn a lot about what Miles and Hector feel about divorce and other relationships their parents, adult relatives and friends of their parents are having.
As I said, I love a good coming-of-age story. They don’t get a whole lot better than “Casebook.”
4 of 5
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.
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