Book Review: “Not Nothing” by Gayle Forman

“Not Nothing” by Gayle Forman (2024)

Genre: Middle-Grade, Children, Fiction

Page Length: 288 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

To say Alex has had it rough is an understatement. His father’s gone, his mother is struggling with mental health issues, and he’s now living with an aunt and uncle who are less than excited to have him. Almost everyone treats him as though he doesn’t matter at all, like he’s nothing. So when a kid at school actually tells him he’s nothing, Alex snaps, and gets violent. Fortunately, his social worker pulls some strings and gets him a job at a nursing home for the summer rather than being sent to juvie. There, he meets Josey, the 107-year-old Holocaust survivor who stopped bothering to talk years ago, and Maya-Jade, the granddaughter of one of the residents with an overblown sense of importance. Unlike Alex, Maya-Jade believes that people care about what she thinks, and that she can make a difference. And when Alex and Josey form an unlikely bond, with Josey confiding in him, Alex starts to believe he can make a difference—a good difference—in the world. If he can truly feel he matters, Alex may be able to finally rise to the occasion of his own life.

Review:

Not Nothing is a heartfelt middle-grade novel by Forman that weaves together a tale of a young boy who is sent to volunteer at a nursing home to provide community service as part of his sentencing due a former horrific incident. What starts out as just a volunteer job soon becomes so much more as the main character Alex becomes intertwined with the lives of the staff and residents Shady Glen living facility. Through this opportunity Alex goes a journey of understanding, letting go of the past, and looking forward to turning over a new leaf.

This novel is told from the perspective of Josey, a resident and his interactions with Alex which eventually turns into a great friendship between the two. Though it seems like their lives may be very different they become intertwined over the course of Josey telling his life story. Rather than Alex being the narrator I think I appreciated the novel even more by having Josey be the narrator of the story and being at the forefront of the novel. I felt it help the reader not tie his and Alex’s story together but the other residents that lived in Shady Glen. Josey’s writing voice reads like a grand storyteller which makes the novel engrossing from start to finish.

Though what Alex did was wrong I felt like the story was about redemption, the choices that we make, and the impact of making a difference in others lives. The way Forman crafts her characters and the detailed writing allows the reader to really empathize with each character and really become attached to the story long after finishing the novel. I appreciated that we got to see many of the characters share such personal stories and how they were working through overcoming grief and the past. Reading all of the character stories, especially Josey’s experience during the Holocaust, made me quite emotional.

Forman does a incredible job in this multi-generational story about compassion, and forgiveness ,and growth. Though it tackles many serious issues such a foster care, senior homes, family, and addiction it never felt overwhelming. On top of that I think it also provides a detailed view of WWII life that will help younger readers learn more about history. The novel’s powerful narrative about life lessons that we apply to our own lives and a plot readers of the intended audience and older will connect to.

Final Verdict: