The Worst Disasters Can Have Wonderful Consequences (Thanks for the Trouble – A Book Review)

Thanks for the Trouble

Author: Tommy Wallach

Published: 2016

On Goodreads

My Rating: 

7/25

I’ve got some questions for you. Was this story written about me?

Parker Sante doesn’t speak, hasn’t since the car accident he and his father were in five years ago. He hangs out in Hotels while his classmates plan for their futures. It’s his favorite thing to do. Then he meets Zelda Toth who has silver hair and claims to be a little over 200 years old and decides being with her is much better. She tells him that she’s waiting for a special phone call that’ll tell her to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, which is completely crazy. So Parker is determined to change her mind by finding things she hasn’t yet experienced in all her life, which proves more difficult than he thought. He didn’t expect to fall for her and he didn’t expect this to show him

This book marks 7 out of 25 authors, from my New Year’s resolution, that I’ve never read from before. I’ve heard so many great and amazeballs things about this author, that he springs some real shit on you. Oh man, yes. I’m so glad I read this.

I fell in love with this book right from the get-go. Five bolts across the board from me. I couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it in five hours. I was laughing and crumbling and feeling way too many emotions. This is the kind of book that leaves you fulfilled. It really is. There are many parts that make you laugh because it feels brutally honest in a way that isn’t offensive at all. That humor also serves to help guide our main character Parker through his tough times as he grows closer to Zelda. To put this to a cheesy metaphor? This is like watching a cherry blossom bloom and wake up in the world…except it doesn’t wilt away later. It flourishes as does e everything around it. LOL.

Parker meets Zelda in a Hotel and while he’s straightforward and sarcastic, she is wispy and wise. Such a clash of opposites, yet not, was very interesting and just drew me in. And personally? Parker’s level of thinking is pretty dead on with mine. Check out some of the quotes below! I guarantee, and ask my friends, this is how I sound half the time. Parker is so refreshing and raw. Parker doesn’t speak, so when I started this I was nervous. How was he going to sound in my head if he didn’t speak? But, that nervousness vanished so quick. He was easy to latch onto and I didn’t want to let go of him. And Zelda, oh sweet Zelda, she was so beautiful. The further I read, the more I noticed the light she carried in her. It’s the kind of light that draws people in.

I’ve always wanted to see San Fransisco, and Wallach did a wonderful job in setting the story there. The imagery wasn’t heavy, but flowed with the characters. I saw what Parker saw and the way he saw it. This story is done from his POV as if he’s writing this story, which he is technically. The way he sees the city and where he grew up isn’t from some wondrous perspective as if the place is shiny and magical. It’s just the feeling of meh you get when you’ve lived in the same spot your whole life. You know what I’m talking about. The lack of specialness and that’s so relatable because it’s just your hometown. I really liked that because it was so natural and real.

And speaking of stories, the addition of small short stories written by Parker was so awesome. It truly added to who Parker is and was so personal. And I get super giddy when the structure of the story is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It truly adds style and originality. Here, it made this book so unique! I’m not going to tell you what these stories were about because he does break that wall, but I will say that they’re fun and fantastical. Each chapter led up to the inevitable end, which still caught me by surprise.

So, I’ve shared a couple of the tidbits I loved about this book, but no serious spoilers. I’m not cruel. I didn’t expect to love the book as much as I did. My emotions were put through the ringer. So much happiness with a dash of sadness. This book will do something to you. It’ll make you look at the world from another angle, one you never thought about.

I must say, too, I’m beyond excited to start We All Looked Up soon, so be on the look out for a review on it soon.

Quotables:

“Fuck me. This is turning into a disaster, isn’t it?” (Parker, p. 2)

“They say God gave us two ears and one mouth because listening is twice as important as talking. That makes a lot of sense to me. Of course, God also gave us two nostrils, one butthole, thirty-two teeth, and ten toes. So I’m not sure where that leaves us.” (Parker, p. 28)

“Coke without rum is like toast without butter—utterly pointless.” (Zelda, p. 44)

“Thinking of your parents being young is like is like thinking of Winnie-the-Pooh going to the bathroom: just fucking weird.” (Parker, p. 62)

“Why is it that the bad shit in our lives always seems to take up so much more mental space than the good stuff? Is that part of being a person or just part of being me?” (Parker to Zelda, p. 123)

“Live fast, die young, eat pepperoni. That’s my motto.” (Tom, p. 228)

More to come soon…

-K.

P.S. Song today? Break Free by Ariana Grande feat. Zedd.

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