Rate this book

In Mike We Trust (2009)

by P.E. Ryan(Favorite Author)

3.55 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0060858133 (ISBN13: 9780060858131)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

HarperTeen

review 1: Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.comThings haven't been going so well for 15-year-old Garth since his father died. He and his mom have had to move into a dingy apartment. She works two jobs and is always tired, while he has to pretend to enjoy working for the irritable owner of the local department store. Worst of all, he finally found the courage to come out to her - only to have her put that discussion "on hold" for an indefinite period, after extracting a promise that he tell no one else.Garth feels stifled, but he has no idea what to do about it.Then change comes without warning in the form of Garth's Uncle Mike, who shows up one evening in need of a place to crash for a few weeks. Despite Garth's mom's concerns, Garth finds himself immediately warming to Mike. M... moreike has the sort of confidence Garth wishes he had, and when he tells Mike about his sexuality, Mike is not only accepting, but also encouraging.Yet even as Mike helps Garth feel more comfortable with himself, he starts to involve Garth in a series of increasingly elaborate money-making schemes. As desperately as his family could use the cash, Garth can't help feeling the pressure of all the secrets he's suddenly keeping.But how can trusting the person who's given him the support he so needs be wrong?IN MIKE WE TRUST is full of those sorts of tricky moral dilemmas, and watching Garth navigate them is just part of the novel's appeal. Ryan offers no easy answers, and Garth's responses feel completely authentic. The stifling Garth feels is vividly drawn, as is his developing relationship with another gay teen. The conclusion wraps up several loose ends in a believable but optimistic way, and leaves others open to the reader's imagination.Teens who've struggled with parents who can't quite accept them for who they are - whether their sexuality or any other aspect of their identity - will find much to relate to, not to mention hope. Recommended to all fans of contemporary YA.
review 2: I thought this was nicely done and a compelling read. Truthfully, I found it slow at the start, and some of my concern was that the protagonist, Garth, feels a little flat at the beginning. His situation (dead father, overprotective mother, coming to terms with being gay) is very real and well rendered, but his voice is just a bit underwhelming as the book starts.But over time I began to feel like I knew who this kid was, and that's a credit to the author. There is real life in the characters in this book, especially his best friend Lisa, whose sharp tongue and insecurities make her especially memorable.Another review mentioned the uncle, and that the reader wished Garth had figured things out quicker. I felt that way at first, but as I read further I got the sense that Ryan was doing something a little more complex. I think Garth does know, and that he is compelled to go along with it because his Uncle Mike is his dead father's twin. And there's something very interesting about a character doing something that doesn't mesh with his own values for reasons he is not quite sure about.By the end of this novel, I couldn't put it down. So I was glad I stayed with it and hope that other readers will, too. This is an extremely solid YA read. less

Download links for: In Mike We Trust

Advertising