Questions I Want to Ask You

March 1, 2018
Searching for the mother he knew nothing about changes a young man's life. Patrick Walsh's nickname "Pack" was originally a nasty insult given to him when he was overweight. But after years of hardcore CrossFit and a rigid adherence to the paleo diet, the white 18-year-old is in great shape and looking forward to a summer spent with his girlfriend, Maddie, who is also white. Pack thinks they're going to be together forever, even with Maddie going to University of Massachusetts in the fall while Pack stays home with his cop father. A few days before graduation, Pack receives a letter from his mother--a woman he believed was dead. As he slowly works to solve this mystery, Pack discovers that the plans he's made aren't necessarily the only right ones for him: Maybe one bite of cake won't make him fat again; maybe he's cut out for college after all; maybe he won't be with Maddie forever. Pack's slow maturation is handled well, albeit with stilted exposition. The crime element of the story is underdeveloped, and the resolution that explains his mother's absence is clunky. These shortcomings are easily forgiven, however, given the novel's strong character development. A well-rounded, much-needed portrait of a boy with self-image issues and a narrow mindset who expands his viewpoint and prepares for an uncertain future. (Mystery. 16-18)

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March 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-On Patrick "Pack" Walsh's last day of high school (and his 18th birthday), he receives a letter from his mother, a woman he has no memories of and whom he believed dead. The realization that his father has been keeping secrets launches him on a coming-of-age journey. As he researches and investigates what really happened when he was a child, he must reconsider his future while also attempting to navigate his changing relationship with his girlfriend, and figure out life after high school. While Pack is well developed and carefully written to be disciplined, respectful, and accepting, the supporting cast of characters are not fully formed and often one-note. The plot relies heavily on poor relationship skills and miscommunication to create and maintain a scenario in which a loving mother would abandon her beloved toddler and isolate him from her family while also setting up a scenario wherein the actions could be excused, explained, and forgiven. Meanwhile, the resolution of the central mystery and relationships is rushed, which will leave readers unsatisfied and failing to deliver the necessary payoff. Ultimately, the majority of the characters and the plot prove to be mediocre. VERDICT A passable but forgettable coming-of-age mystery that fails to deliver.-Amanda Foust, Douglas County Libraries, CO

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 A letter from his dead mother is the last thing Pack expects to receive on his eighteenth birthday. Patrick Pack Walsh lives a happy life in the small town of Brooksby, where he enjoys doing CrossFit and spending time with his girlfriend, Maddie. Even though he's just graduated high school, Pack sees no reason to leave his hometown or even change his daily routine much. Until he gets the letter, that is. Now he's curious about a lot of things, and the search for answers has Pack journeying outside of his comfort zone geographically, emotionally, and internally. The book is divided into three parts, and while the first two have the tone of contemporary fiction, part three suddenly feels like a mystery novel. The end seems a little rushed as a big reveal and the subsequent fallout are only briefly discussed. But on the whole, Falkoff's (Playlist for the Dead, 2015) coming-of-age story leaves the reader feeling proud of Pack's personal evolution and ends in a place that truly feels like a new beginning.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
On his eighteenth birthday, Patrick receives a letter from his long-dead mother. Only she's not dead--his dad's been lying to him for years. As "Pack" unravels the mystery, he loses his supportive girlfriend and his whole life turns upside-down. Though readers may not feel satisfied by the hurried resolution to the mystery, Pack is an interesting character and his complicated relationship with food and exercise adds dimension.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)