Thirteen-year-old wrestling fanatic Henry used to have a normal life. Now, his therapist wants him to keep a journal so he can express his feelings about what happened.
Henry has moved with his dad to a new city, where nobody knows their name. He lives off a diet of pizza, whilst hiding from the comically overbearing neighbours and avoiding being an obvious target for bullies at his new school. But then he meets Farley and Alberta, social misfits who refuse to let him be alone. And bit by bit, the past begins to come out.
Heartbreaking, surprising and laugh-out-loud funny, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen is about the things that remain after your life has fallen to pieces.
Henry K. Larsen is a thirteen year old boy, living with his father in a new city where they have moved to escape after “IT” happened. Henry’s mother is not living with them and now Henry is left to copy with what happened pretty much on his own. He is reluctant to make any new friends at school or in his apartment building, he doesn’t want anyone to know what happened. His therapist gives him a notebook to keep a journal in. Henry is reluctant at first but gradually starts to open up about “IT” and that is how we learn about Henry’s life and what happened to his brother Jesse. This story is darkly humorous at times, but Henry’s journal lets us really see what happens when bullying is not stopped or dealt with and what can happen when a bully becomes a victim. Tragedy can affect everyone on both sides of a crime and we forget that often there are more victims than we realize. Henry and his family also have had to pay a price for Jesse’s actions and will have to live with what Jesse did for the rest of their lives. We have a glimpse of what Henry’s life will become and can have some hope that although he and others will never forget what Jesse did, they will find ways to cope and move on with their lives.
