Book Review: Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

A subjective literary analysis of Simon Sort of Says

Overview

emotional, funny, hopeful, lighthearted, sad

Pacing? Medium
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Official Goodreads Description

Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he’d do anything to forget: the story in which he’s the only kid in his class who survived a school shooting.

Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone — the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space. And when Simon makes a friend who’s determined to give the scientists what they’re looking for, he’ll finally have the chance to spin a new story for the world to tell.

From award-winning author Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says is a breathtaking testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past.

Review (3.75/5 stars)

I picked this book up because I saw it in my local bookstore and the cover looked cute. Then I read the description, which to put it lightly — made my eyebrows raise — and sold me. Upon reflection, I have some gripes with this book. Overall, Simon Sort of Says is a good story. The plot was very light-hearted and charismatic. I enjoyed the subtle eclectic small town representation: Grin and Bear It, for example, was the name of the village, the village had no internet, and the school was divided into scientists and farmers. I thought some of the scenarios the author cooked up were very cute and fun, like the alpacas getting loose and the astronomers chasing them, or “goat-birthing season.” PTSD was depicted exceptionally well through Simon, despite being a little on the nose at times.

Now here’s where the gripes come in: Agate did not feel like a real character. I understand that she was supposed to serve as autistic representation, but she fell too hard into the archetype and didn’t feel real. She added nothing to the plot, and did nothing for Simon’s character, except her representation. I suppose I could say that her literal take on things pushed him to be more comfortable with his trauma, and take it at face value — but it came across as strange to bank Simon’s character development on Agate’s surface level personality trait instead of having meaningful moral actions between the two characters. (For example, their fight was entirely dependent on Agate not taking context cues, because she’s autistic. It wasn’t any deeper than that, and it felt inappropriate.)

Simon and Kevin’s relationship, comparatively, had a lot more dynamics. Still, when they had their resolution, it felt like the author was stepping in and spelling out the moral lesson instead of the characters realizing it on their own. (Simon tells Kevin that doing nothing is worse than anything else).

The prose was also dry. There was a lot of telling, not a lot of showing. Something about the author’s style just didn’t vibe with me — it’s hard to describe, but it was like I was reading a Tumblr post. I could really see the author behind the words instead of getting lost in the story itself. For example, the end was all about stars, and Agate covers Simon in stars … but I don’t see the point of this other than there were some astrology themes throughout the book. It’s a meaningless symbol that represents nothing.

Something I did like about this book that stuck with me? Near the end, when they’re trying to make the microwave radio thing, Simon talks about how he wants to “pull the trigger” and “press the button” that will fake the alien message. Then, once he does this, he says “This time it was me. I pressed the button.” Which is obviously another way to say, “This time it was me. I pulled the trigger.” What a daring thing to put in a middle grade book. It represents Simon reclaiming ownership of his life and gaining some agency. Something horrible happened to him which he had absolutely no control over, and pressing the button on the microwave to imitate an alien message allowed him to take back some control. I wasn’t expecting that, and it hit hard.

Notable Quotes

This time, it was me. I pressed the button.

Content Warnings

Graphic: N/A

Moderate: PTSD, death, school shooting, blood

Minor: N/A