Honest Truth

by Dan Gemeinhart

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/03/the-honest-truth-by-dan-gemeinhart.html
The Honest Truth was a poignant story about a boy, his canine companion and choosing to die on his own terms. Mark is a sensitive boy that has fought Cancer with sheer determination, but has now reached breaking point and leaves without a word to his parents. Destined to climb a mountain he and his late grandfather had planned to visit. He's freeing himself from the confines of terminal illness, but Mark is about to discover that the world his parents had sheltered him from, is as brutal as it is beautiful.

His only friend on the road is Beau, the spirited little dog that has seen Mark through his Cancer treatment, recovery and now navigating his way towards Mount Rainier. His pain and frustration were nothing short of devastating. My heart broke for Mark, but what really pushed me over that emotional edge was Beau. With one blue eye and one brown, the little dog was incredibly loyal and heroic. There's no doubt that without his companion, Mark would have perished long before reaching the mountain.

Dying and living. It's all such a mess. That's the truth. It made me mad. A sad kind of angry.

But even for a middle grade novel, The Honest Truth is incredibly compelling and honest. Mark's journey isn't easy, he's assaulted, tired, hungry, but resourceful. What struck me most, is that he seemed comfortable with the thought of dying on that mountain, even with his parents and best friend Jess never being too far from his thoughts. I was torn between wanting him to reach the mountain even if only to realise that his parents deserved more, and hoping that at least one person he'd met on his travels would have reported him to the police. When you're that age and need to fight each day to live, it would be hard to take others feelings into account.

But Mark does reach the mountain, and the final few chapters left me breathless. I was far more invested than I'd realised and was almost on the verge of praying that both he and Beau made it home. It's simplistically written and due to the violence of mark being abused and his illness, I'd recommend it more for mature middle grade readers. But young adult fans will enjoy this one. A quick read that you can emotionally invest in.