Book Review: Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles

Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles

10 Characters, 1 finger, and 1 very eventful day...

Summary from Goodreads:

Does anyone ever see us for who we really are? Jo Knowles’s revelatory novel of interlocking stories peers behind the scrim as it follows nine teens and one teacher through a seemingly ordinary day.


Thanks to a bully in gym class, unpopular Nate suffers a broken finger—the middle one, splinted to flip off the world. It won’t be the last time a middle finger is raised on this day. Dreamer Claire envisions herself sitting in an artsy café, filling a journal, but fate has other plans. One cheerleader dates a closeted basketball star; another questions just how, as a "big girl," she fits in. A group of boys scam drivers for beer money without remorse—or so it seems. Over the course of a single day, these voices and others speak loud and clear about the complex dance that is life in a small town. They resonate in a gritty and unflinching portrayal of a day like any other, with ordinary traumas, heartbreak, and revenge. But on any given day, the line where presentation and perception meet is a tenuous one, so hard to discern. Unless, of course, one looks a little closer—and reads between the lines. 

My Thoughts:

I have always been a fan of Knowles' writing, but this by far was my favorite.  At first I was a bit confused by the amount of characters and how they were going to connect throughout the story, but as I read further, I could picture every single one of them at my high school going through these exact same situations. In each vignette, the character reflects on who they are and who they really want to be.  Beyond that, they deal with the consequences of a parent's unemployment, scams, drunk driving, sexual assaults, hoarding, questioning one's sexual identity, eating disorders, and more.  There are definitely characters and issues that students can relate to throughout the book.

My favorite vignette, was at the end of the story - Ms. Lindsay.  I think many teachers have felt her struggle to gain respect of her students and her determination not to be bitter.   What I loved was her honesty.  Every teacher has those days (or classes) that just get to them and make them want to give up.  Ms. Lindsay didn't.

"Today will be better.

She will stand in front of the class and hold up her three fingers to quiet them down, and for a moment she will think, Read between the lines, class.

But then, as she looks at their unsuspecting, uninterested faces, she will start to think about what that really means.  That just like there is more to her than what  they see, there is more inside each one of them. 

What's your story? she will wonder as she scans the room from face to face.  

And this time when she pleads with them to read between the lines, she will try to do the same. "

What a great ending to a heartfelt, emotional story that I didn't want to end.

Side note:  If you don't follow @AndersonGL on Twitter, you must read Gary Anderson's interview with Jo Knowles about Read Between the Lines.