Title: Trouble
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Major Themes: Grief, Racism, Forgiveness, Friendship
Synopsis: After a terrible accident that threatens his brother’s life, Henry must learn forgiveness and find a way to help his family as they try to move forward.
Gary D. Schmidt feels like one of those authors I’ve known about and loved just about forever…even though our acquaintance isn’t even a year old yet. I appreciated Pay Attention, Carter Jones, and when I saw Trouble available recently, I decided to try that out, as well. I’m so glad I did. This is a deep, richly nuanced story, one that sticks with you long after you finish the last page.
Publisher’s description:
“Henry Smith’s father told him that if you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you.”
But Trouble comes careening down the road one night in the form of a pickup truck that strikes Henry’s older brother, Franklin. In the truck is Chay Chouan, a young Cambodian from Franklin’s preparatory school, and the accident sparks racial tensions in the school—and in the well-established town where Henry’s family has lived for generations. Caught between anger and grief, Henry sets out to do the only thing he can think of: climb Mt. Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, which he and Franklin were going to climb together. Along with Black Dog, whom Henry has rescued from drowning, and a friend, Henry leaves without his parents’ knowledge. The journey, both exhilarating and dangerous, turns into an odyssey of discovery about himself, his older sister, Louisa, his ancestry, and why one can never escape from Trouble.
My thoughts:
To be honest, I didn’t expect much of Trouble when I picked it up. A cover is often the first thing to pull me into a story, and this one is particularly bad, in my opinion. But once I got into it—which happened pretty quickly—I couldn’t put the story down.
For Henry, this is a story of self-discovery. It’s also the story of a family and a community. I was able to connect with Henry right away, and as the story progressed, I was impressed by the way he and his family reacted to their grief—it felt realistic, and all too relatable. I was impressed by Henry’s reactions as he tried to work through his grief and find answers for his family—and find a way to forgive the person who hurt his brother.
Then there’s Chay Chouan and his story…heartbreaking, and again, I found it easy to empathize with his situation. As a Cambodian who spent time in a refugee camp, America ought to be a place of hope and freedom for him, but instead, he encountered racism and mistrust. I found his part of the story heartbreaking, but also a good reminder that life can be very hard for refugees.
This isn’t a mystery, although there is a mysterious element. This book is more about friendship and finding a way to move on after problems come up in our lives. It’s not an easy story; I mentioned racism and grief, and there is some violence occasionally (often caused by racism).
If you enjoy books that have a decent amount of adventure, as well as deeper, thought-provoking themes, I’d highly recommend Trouble. After Mom and I both listened to the story, she put it on for my younger siblings to listen to as well, and they were all enthralled. Schmidt is one of those rare authors that somehow manages to tackle raw, difficult subjects with grace, and bring a redemptive story out of hopeless situations. I loved this book, and can’t wait to read more by this author.
WARNING: Chapter 1: Boy in an accident, a mention that he lost an arm. Chapter 5: “Nodded like God”. Chapter 6: Story of a boy being beaten and choked. Chapter 7: “Gee” (twice). Chapter 10: Someone dies. Chapter 11: A girl slaps her brother, a boy is disobedient and goes on a hike against his parent’s consent. Chapter 12: “Go to hell”, a man tells about his sister being shot and brother being stolen, “dammit”. Chapter 13: People drinking beer and trying to hurt someone because of his ethnic background (racism comes up quite a few times through the story). Chapter 14: A boy punches a man. Chapter 17: A man tells about being conceived after his mother was raped. Chapter 19: “Good God”, “what the heck”, “Jehoshaphat”, a man tells about seeing someone falling to his death. Chapter 21: Telling about a refugee camp where families were separated, people drowned, and some committed suicide. Chapter 22: A man describes a bit of what it was like to be a soldier in Vietnam, a burning stick is thrown at a man, a boy is shot, and a boy’s back is badly cut (more racist-driven violence). Chapter 23: A boy imagining what a terrible accident must have been like, “Jehoshaphat”.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Reading Independently—Ages 12 – 15, 15 and Above
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | Audio CD (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
