From the award-winning, bestselling author of Hold Still and We Are Okay.
Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.
But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?
Morris Award–finalist Nina LaCour draws together the beauty and influences of music and art to brilliantly capture a group of friends on the brink of the rest of their lives.
Initial thoughts:The Disenchantments surprised me by how much it affected me. I mean, it was a fairly straightforward road trip novel during which the sights and places weren't pivotal to the travel aspect. However, the emotional rollercoaster was really there. This book had so much heart, which made me feel so much and also relate to Colby.
Can't say I've ever been in love with a best friend but I've clung on to promises that the other never meant to actually fulfil. Grappling with that was a painful experience for me, and I think LaCour captured the confusion and the conflicting emotions that Colby dealt with quite well. Also the notion of a last hurrah before friends part ways to uncertain futures was captured in ways that made me think of end-of-high school and end-of-uni days. You really don't know who the friends are who will drift and who will stick around, so there's a lot of sentimentality during those times, which again, The Disenchantments brought to life.
I did have a quibble with Bev. I don't understand how she and Colby ended up as best friends. That chemistry wasn't entirely apparent on the page, especially with Colby in love with Bev. Meg and Alexa did fit into their friendship group, though.
