Every Word You Never Said (3) (A Noahverse Story)

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There was a lot of great representation in this book so that was a highlight of the story. The nonverbal main character was really interesting to read about. I also really love that Skylar likes to wear skirts and makeup. Once again, it’s something we don’t see a lot of, even in more progressive and diverse books/movies/shows, so it was really nice to have a gender non-conforming MC. Imani standing by Skylar, supporting him and reassuring him, but also calling him on his shit. (For me she was a little bit too involved in his love life and asking him rather inappropriate questions after just knowing him a few days, but maybe it’s just me.)

I don’t read a lot of poetry because I don’t have the patience to stop reading and dissect whatever the poet is trying to say. So when I read, I generally gravitate toward novels instead, as I love to be entertained. This poetry collection called me though, and I couldn’t resist reading it right away. And then we have the story itself, a battle of gender, sexuality, societal conformity, and religion.Sometimes it felt like the author was “telling” instead of “showing”. For example, Skylar teaches Jacob how to ride a bike, but we never actually get to see that. They go on a dates (to a concert, to a café), but again, we don’t see much of it. They also seem to text a lot (particularly, they have a conversation about ~being intimate~ with each other – discussing whether they want to do it, and how to be safe), but we also never get to see it either. Not only is this bad because it’s “telling instead of showing”, but also because it’s a missed opportunity to let the readers see their relationship develop (which is something I really would’ve liked to see, since I really don’t buy their “love” for each other as it is lmao 🥴). Poetry means different things to different people. Hell, it can even mean literally nothing at all to you. That's the beauty of what it is as a medium. It can be that connection, that feeling of "Someone else finally understands. Thank the stars. Thank the stars. I'm not alone." Sometimes those stories are happy. Sometimes angry. Sometimes sad. And sometimes, those poems are stories we wish we didn't have to tell. I've said all I wanted to say, so I'll close out with one of my favourite passages from the collection:

The Author Resource Round Table on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_folder/116489?group_id=26989 In 2009, for his work as the author of the art/photography project “I Wrote This For You”, he was voted one of the top 5 finalists in the world in the “Best Blogger To Follow” category on mashable.com under his online pseudonym, pleasefindthis. Jacob is also gay but has a seriously overbearing god fearing Christian father. Which makes his home life pretty awful. His dad is the ringleader for opposing boys wearing “girls” clothes.This one incident had kind of a snowball effect, bringing a whole campaign for a new dress code into being. Through the project, he was also able to have skateboards delivered to The Uganda Skateboard Union on behalf of Stacy Peralta, director of Dogtown And Z-Boys and Riding Giants and he’s previously acted as a creative consultant to Brian Wayne Transeau or “BT” (whose previous collaborators include Peter Gabriel, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and David Bowie, amongst others) on his last album, If The Stars Are Eternal, So Are You And I.

And while you're waiting, if you haven't read A Mark on My Soul or Watching for Comets, you have plenty of time. All three of these books are in the Noahverse, but they're easily read as standalones too. You just might get a few neat little extra things out of it if you read the first two books before Every Word You Never Said comes out. Beyond that, the story itself was fine. The writing exclusively tells the reader everything rather than showing them; a choice I hate, but know others don’t mind, notice, or might even prefer. I found all of the characters' personalities undeveloped and their actions felt like what would move the plot the way the author wanted it to rather than something they'd actually do. For example, the big third-act conflict was the most contrived dramatic quarrel and absurd fallout. And then the resolution was literally "He really did like me all along, it's so clear now." after the forgettable grand gesture. I literally lol'd reading that sentence. He's like me. He's broken, hurting. This, all of this, is not what I expected, it's not the idea of him I had in my head. It makes him more real to me. And honestly, it makes him beautiful." Jacob Walters′s dad has worked to make his son′s life a living hell. But when the cute new transfer student suffers his father′s wrath, Jacob must make the hardest decisions of his life.

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A lot of the language and phrases used throughout this book made me cringe so bad, but my main issue was the latter half of the book and the way that the MC Skylar handled everything. I’m aware that he has gone through a lot of past trauma which has deeply affected him, but he really said i choose self sabotage 🏃🏻. When I was 16, I went to Kuala Lumpur for the second time in my entire life and I bought a poetry book called I Wrote This For You: Just the Words