Review by Booklist Review
A gangly teenager with a clueless stepdad, an overworked mother, and three indifferent half sisters, Raymond Jaffe is constantly aware of how easy it is to feel alone in the middle of a crowded city. Until he meets 92-year-old Millie Gutermann. Millie's blind, and she relies on an aide's help to run errands, but aide Luis hasn't shown up in more than two weeks. Raymond volunteers to help Millie in Luis' absence and check in on her regularly, but he can't let the mystery of the aide's disappearance go unanswered. He embarks on his own missing-person project, crisscrossing the boroughs of New York to find Luis. He knows the odds of finding one man in a city of millions are slim, but he never expects his search to turn into something far greater. Hyde (Heaven Adjacent, 2018) has crafted a spellbinding coming-of-age story deepened by the satisfaction of belonging, the vibrancy of community, and the power of connection. Fans of Liane Moriarty and Kristin Hannah will adore the deep connection between the unlikeliest of friends.--Stephanie Turza Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Prolific author Hyde (Pay It Forward) has created another heartwarming story about how people treat one another badly but also how surprising human connections might fix the world. At 17, Raymond Jaffe is uncomfortable in his skin and doesn't fit in at school or in his two homes with either of his divorced parents. Mildred Gutermann, a 92-year-old blind neighbor, calls for help in his New York City walk-up, and, unlike everyone else, Raymond comes to her aid. He starts by rescuing a stray cat and is soon traveling all over the city meeting people while he's trying to find the old lady's former caretaker, Luis Velez. When he discovers Luis's tragic fate, his life opens up in new directions with new people who become his chosen family. Hyde's latest asks tough questions about how we care for one another and judge before we know people based on race, stereotypes, and prejudice. VERDICT This touching portrait of Raymond's sorrow, and his quest for understanding the world and why it seems so unfair, is a solid choice for book groups with a lot of important issues to discuss.-Jan Marry, Lanexa, VA © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Sixteen-year-old Raymond doesn't have any friends, so no one really understands what a kind young man he is. At least, not until his neighbor Millie Gutermann asks him a very strange question: Do you know Luis Velez?Toggling between his divorced parents' homes, Raymond has never felt wanted. At his mother's apartment, he's just an extra child his stepfather endures and his half sisters ignore. Except for baby Clarissa. She likes "Ray Ray." At his father's posh apartment, Raymond keeps to himself, waiting to eat takeout pizza with his mostly silent father whose resentful second wife refuses to even stay home when Raymond is around. Despite his cold families, Raymond has a big heart, which so far he has opened to a stray cat hiding in the basement of an abandoned building. When he realizes that Millie, a blind 92-year-old woman, has lost the man who used to check in on her, making sure she got to the bank and grocery store, he steps up to the plate himself. Raymond also decides to track down Luis. Finding 21 Luis Velezes in the NYC phone directory, Raymond sets out to knock on doors. His quest introduces him to several Luis Velezessome friendly and others not so much. The fate of Millie's Luis devastates Millie, but Raymond refuses to give up on her. A master of making a heartwarming tale feel authentic and socially urgent, Hyde (Just After Midnight, 2018, etc.) deftly sketches the plights of Raymond and Millie, weighting their friendship with worries and regrets that echo as true. That authenticity often lies in the silences that Hyde lets linger when Raymond tries to process a compliment or Millie simply is present with her grief.A tender tale of new families born of chance and the determination to bring light into darkness. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
