Our managers were really nice and worked with schedules really easily. The GM is particularly great. However, corporate Red Lobster recently gave their hosts and servers a giant pay cut by taking hosts from earning $10/ hour to earning $5/ hour plus tipout from servers. This has made the tipout WAYYYY too high. As a server, if I make $70, I tip out $10 (it used to be $3-$4). I ended up losing way too much money per week over this.
Read 'Lena Rivers (Mary J. Holmes) for free. Full-text! 'Lena Rivers by Mary J. Graham drew from his blushing daughter a confession of the love she bore him. 'He is worthy of you,' said he, while 'Lena, without seeming to heed the remark, said, 'I have not seen him yet, but I am expecting him every moment, for he was to visit.
And corporate does not care AT ALL. It’s extremely frustrating to work somewhere for 2 years only to get an enormous paycut instead of a raise or even just staying the same.
Shame on you, Red Lobster. I've had other jobs previous to my time at red lobster and going through the interview process and getting hired I knew I had a lot to prove.
I was a cocky know it all upon my initial few days to weeks to even a month of working there, but what I thought I knew wasnt even close to the level of expectations they had. They turned a cocky young man and turned him to a cook of the highest degree. I highly recommend anyone working for Red Lobster only for the fact they all started where I did and moved forward. It truly is a great job to have.
Sometimes I wish Id lost a leg or something. Everyone can understand that. They never get it when whats been broken is inside your head.Five years after an unspeakable tragedy that changed him forever, Gordie Allen has made a new home with his half-brother Kevin. Their arrangement works since Kevin is the only person who can protect Gordie at school and keep him focused on Sometimes I wish I’d lost a leg or something. Everyone can understand that. They never get it when what’s been broken is inside your head.Five years after an unspeakable tragedy that changed him forever, Gordie Allen has made a new home with his half-brother Kevin. Their arrangement works since Kevin is the only person who can protect Gordie at school and keep him focused on getting his life back on track.But just when it seems like things are becoming normal, Gordie’s biological father comes back into the picture, demanding a place in his life.
Now there’s nothing to stop Gordie from falling into a tailspin that could cost him everything—including his relationship with Sarah, the first girl he’s trusted with the truth. With his world spinning out of control, the only one who can help Gordie is himself. If he can find the strength to confront the past and take back his future. This book was really emotional and brutal and omg the title is a sever underestimate. GENTLE wounds?!? I think the frick not. The wounds run deep and my emotions are a bit of a puddle.
This book is a deeply moving tale about PTSD, child abuse, and brotherly bonds. I actually read the author's book earlier this year and that inspired me to buy her debut. I do think Boomerang was more nuanced and better written, and These Gentle Wounds does read 'messy' but then Gordie's emotional state This book was really emotional and brutal and omg the title is a sever underestimate.
GENTLE wounds?!? I think the frick not. The wounds run deep and my emotions are a bit of a puddle. This book is a deeply moving tale about PTSD, child abuse, and brotherly bonds. I actually read the author's book earlier this year and that inspired me to buy her debut.
I do think Boomerang was more nuanced and better written, and These Gentle Wounds does read 'messy' but then Gordie's emotional state is messy, so I think the style was on point for how to convey his voiceso. Thoughts.☆ I really loved Gordie.he is very smol and damaged and just spinning into a mess at all times from the horrible thing that happened 5 years ago☆ I LOVED his relationship with his half-brother, Kevin.☆ They're super close, but their relationship is also messy, with Kevin having repressed PTSD and anger issues too.☆ Both boys hide a lot of things that didn't make sense, so I think it would've benefitted from talking more about their thought processes???☆ The romance was sweet but rushed!
But I do like that romance wasn't the focus!☆ I do cry at the law system where a kind and perceiving lawyer could look at a kid literally falling on the floor with a panic attack/breakdown and then still put him in the situation that made him do that?? Like Gordie had severe traumatic tics, he self-harmed, he couldn't speak half the time - he couldn't hide this stuff. Yet the adults (working with the law) just ignored it.☆ Anyway, the whole story was gutting and deeply emotional and you just become so deeply immersed in Gordie's perspective, it destroys you.☆ The story is bittersweet and heart-wrenching. This is one of the most tightly focused 1st person voices I've read. Gordie is a 15 yo boy suffering from PTSD at the hands of an abusive father and a, most likely, mentally ill mother, or perhaps she had PTSD herself, whichever, the mom isn't in the story, only the consequence of her very major action.This book is painful and sad and I wanted to reach through the pages and scoop up Gordie to hug him and also shake him and tell him, please, please, please, get it out. Talk to someone.
The This is one of the most tightly focused 1st person voices I've read. Gordie is a 15 yo boy suffering from PTSD at the hands of an abusive father and a, most likely, mentally ill mother, or perhaps she had PTSD herself, whichever, the mom isn't in the story, only the consequence of her very major action.This book is painful and sad and I wanted to reach through the pages and scoop up Gordie to hug him and also shake him and tell him, please, please, please, get it out. Talk to someone. The unspooling of his story and path to healing is so subtle and so deftly done, that I easily and willingly fell deeper and deeper into Gordie's world. The book also contains one of the sweetest first date, first kiss scenes in the history of bookdom. I love Gordie's very normal, very real insecurity when it comes to Sarah.
And how Sarah is with Gordie. And I can't wind down without mentioning Gordie's big brother Kevin.
Kevin is his own brand of wounded hero and I loved him, too.Recommend for those who like intense, close narrators, real-life issues you may or may not have ever experienced, and fans of strong writing. Great boy POV. I was really surprised by this book! I first heard about it while browsing NetGalley about a year ago, but I was denied an eARC.
So since then I've been meaning to get it out from the library, and today I finally did. I read this book in one sitting. Though it's a quick and easy read, it's not particularly light. There are some thematic elements in this book relating to trauma that make it quite powerful.What I appreciated a lot about this book was how it highlights the relationship between two I was really surprised by this book! I first heard about it while browsing NetGalley about a year ago, but I was denied an eARC. So since then I've been meaning to get it out from the library, and today I finally did.
I read this book in one sitting. Though it's a quick and easy read, it's not particularly light. There are some thematic elements in this book relating to trauma that make it quite powerful.What I appreciated a lot about this book was how it highlights the relationship between two brothers. I personally don't feel like you get that perspective a lot in literature, especially in Young Adult literature which is most often told from the female perspective. This story is told by Gordie Allen whose mother and younger siblings all died in an incident five years ago. Gordie was the only surivor, and now lives with his half-brother, Kevin, and Kevin's father, Jim.
The relationship between Gordie and Kevin was so beautiful. You find out more and more about their childhood, and seeing how that affected their relationship as teenagers was really well done.Something that often annoys me about YA is when characters don't speak up or when they make illogical decisions, and the reader is just supposed to accept that because the characters are young. But in this book, the author presents a story that has frustrating moments that are true to life, and moments when the characters, who have gone through a lot in their short lives and are capable of making smart decisions, do so. It was quite refreshing.I'm a bit surprised that no one I know has read this book. I feel like it could be quite popular. It has a bit of romance that I wasn't a huge fan of, but was definitely not the worst romance I've ever read.
Other than that, I thought this book did a great job of addressing issues that some teens go through in a poignant and touching way. What a touching, heart-rending book Helene Dunbar has given us for her debut!Gordie's life is ripped apart when his mom does the unthinkable and drives her car in the river, her young children strapped in their seats. Only Gordie survives, but the trauma has left lasting scars.Dunbar's treatment of post-traumatic stress syndrome is so full realized in this beautiful novel, as well as the ambiguities of Gordie's feelings towards his mom, his half brother, his step father, even himself, that What a touching, heart-rending book Helene Dunbar has given us for her debut!Gordie's life is ripped apart when his mom does the unthinkable and drives her car in the river, her young children strapped in their seats. Only Gordie survives, but the trauma has left lasting scars.Dunbar's treatment of post-traumatic stress syndrome is so full realized in this beautiful novel, as well as the ambiguities of Gordie's feelings towards his mom, his half brother, his step father, even himself, that you'll find yourself unable to put this book down.
I kept asking myself, how would I have coped with such a loss? Could I have coped?I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book. There is darkness, but there is light too. A great read for young adults, though I suspect many adults will enjoy it as well.
And safe for middle grade.Well done, Helene! These Gentle Wounds is an AMAZING story and one I will re-read for years to come. I have someone who is very close to me and near and dear to my heart who suffers from PTSD and I have to say reading this book had me crying so hard because I know his struggle is like Gordie's struggle and I often wonder if he will ever get help or trust someone like Gordie did.This is a story about a 15 year old bot who has suffered a horrible tragedy at such a young age. After the tragedy he goes to live with These Gentle Wounds is an AMAZING story and one I will re-read for years to come.
I have someone who is very close to me and near and dear to my heart who suffers from PTSD and I have to say reading this book had me crying so hard because I know his struggle is like Gordie's struggle and I often wonder if he will ever get help or trust someone like Gordie did.This is a story about a 15 year old bot who has suffered a horrible tragedy at such a young age. After the tragedy he goes to live with his older brother Kevin and let me tell you something Kevin is everything a brother should be.
He steps right in and takes care of Gordie and is there for him through thick and thin. Kevin is gordie's protector and will continue to be that as long as Gordie will let him.Then Gordie meets Sarah and man oh man I love her because she is everything Gordie needs. She loves him with such selflessness that I cried during some parts because she was strong for the both of them and they were able to open and love freely even though Gordie was scared he trusted Sarah and she loved him like no one's business.I can't say enough about this book but I will say this it is A MUST READ! You will fall in love with Gordie & Sarah & Kevin.Thank you Amy for allowing me to read this beautiful story early!.I recieved this book from Lady Reader's Bookstuff fo review purposes which does not in the slightest affect my honest review of the book.Where do I even begin with this book? How do I start telling you the numerous ways this book touched me? How do I even begin to try and explain when you haven't read it yet?I think the best way to describe this is as a rich meal. These Gentle Wounds had all of the different types of foods that make you remember why you live to eat.
The meat is delicate, and.I recieved this book from Lady Reader's Bookstuff fo review purposes which does not in the slightest affect my honest review of the book.Where do I even begin with this book? How do I start telling you the numerous ways this book touched me? How do I even begin to try and explain when you haven't read it yet?I think the best way to describe this is as a rich meal. These Gentle Wounds had all of the different types of foods that make you remember why you live to eat. The meat is delicate, and tender. The baked potatoe is drowned in butter, spices, and crispness on the outside.
The wine (not that I've had any) is exquisite, it's scents permeating your nostrils the way only the high quality kind will. The bread is light, airy, and still warm from the oven. I hope you get the picture.The point is that this meal is something you wouldn't trade for the world because of all of its phenomenal qualities, just like this book. One of my highest praises, and I'm sure anybody else's if they have read These Gentle Wounds are the highly developed characters. Gordie, Sarah, Kevin, Jim, even the more minor ones have the quality that all authors strive for. It goes beyond being relatable, because what takes talent is making characters seem real when they're situations are extremely rare.Gordie could be very standoffish, and off putting if he wasn't written well. In fact, that's whfat he thinks he appears as to the people around him.
Instead, readers were given an inside look into his head. You're probably sitting there thinking, 'That's what first person is supposed to do Sofia. Didn't you go through 3rd grade?' Like I said before about this story, you have to read it to understand. Gordie has PTSD because his mother did something unspeakable five years before.
He wakes up soaked with sweat frequently, he goes off on 'spins' where he has vivid flashbacks and time escapes him. All he can feel is pressure from what happened to him. I could have ended up saying, 'Okay.so what?' Almost the entire book because of how bizarre the situation was. Instead, it was as if his character's hands reached out a touched my heart on the most incline way possible.Kevin, Gordie's half-brother, took the brunt of his step-fathers anger, which I am pretty sure you can interpret.
It would almost make more sense if Kevin were the one with PTSD because of what Gordie's father did to him. Instead, we learn that Kevin is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Gordie's protection and safety.
He was sort of like Gordie's watch dog. If Helene Dunbar reads this review, she will probably be rolling her eyes and saying, 'This review is crazy, first she compares my writing to food, and now one of my main characters to a watchdog?' Let me just explain, Kevin is loyal, Kevin is protective, and he would never let anything happen to his brother. At a young age, he had to deal with his step-father's abuse, seeing his biological father on a few occasions, and all of that transitioned into him becoming the sole-caretaker, and shrink, for his little brother.
Kevin is basically Gordie's anchor in life, and you know that he would kill to keep Gordie safe.Sarah is an interesting character. She's a photographer, ex-bad girl, sister to golden-boy hockey player, Luke Miller, and one of the most understanding characters I have ever met. She becomes Gordie's love interest in this story, and does more than you could ever imagine for him. To Gordie, Sarah isn't just some girl, she becomes his second anchor, and the only person outside of his brother that he can confide in. By herself, I don't think I would like Sarah that much, but through Gordie's eyes, I see what a magnificent person she is, and what it feels like to be in love. She listens wholly without judgement, she adds humor, a ray of sunshine, and proof that Gordie can love and be loved.It's amazing how well Helene Dunbar captures the act of falling in love, while the two of them are still teenagers. The reason that sentence is written so poorly is because I was trying to avoid the words 'teenage love' because their relationship is not just another flash in the pan.
However, the sensations of falling in love when you are a teenager are there because of how Gordie experiences everything for the first time with new eyes. Their love is pure. There is a scene where it seems as if Kevin is about to beat Sarah up because he's afraid she will hurt Gordie. Sarah responds with a full arsenal of defenses to her love and admiration for Gordie. This might seem like nothing, but to Gordie, who is having doubts because of what happens at the story in that time, what she says means everything.On one of my many-category reviews, I have 'originality' as a category, and frankly, I don't know how this story could be more original.
It's a tale of tough issues, grief, and sadness, but it also remains hopeful, and is about finding love, who you are, and how to face your fears. This one book will move mountains more than a thousand books in another genre.The mental aspect of Gordie is something I have never read about before.
Everyone talks about being broken after something tough and having to put yourself back together again, but never what it's like to be broken inside your head. It's something that's incomprehensible to others, as the beginning of the synopsis says, but the readers are given a unique window to see what it's like.There is a lot more I can say, but it can't be put into words -unless they're about dogs or food- the feelings that were prodded and poked with this novel. My last plugin for all of you is that you have to buy this book when it hits shelves on the 8th of May. I normally am very conservative with my money, but you can bet on the day These Gentle Wounds comes out, I will be the first in line to get my own copy. Why is everyone not talking about this book?! Why is everyone not READING this book?!
I will be raving about this book to anyone who will listen.READ. Read it.Also, bring tissues.
Every chapter rips your heart out as you watch Gordie try to cope with the terrible incident from his past and the horrors that have carried through to the present. There were times I had to close the book and physically hug it like I wanted to hug Gordie. He is an amazing This book. Why is everyone not talking about this book?! Why is everyone not READING this book?!
I will be raving about this book to anyone who will listen.READ. Read it.Also, bring tissues. Every chapter rips your heart out as you watch Gordie try to cope with the terrible incident from his past and the horrors that have carried through to the present.
There were times I had to close the book and physically hug it like I wanted to hug Gordie. He is an amazing character.kind and gentle and fragile and broken. And strong.even though he doesn't know it.
Beautifully written, tragically real. I loved this book!
It accurately depicts a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how they are finally able to begin over coming it. Another thing, more than one person saved him. In several books, protagonists are always saved by a single person, typically a romantic interest, but in These Gentle Wounds, several people help him along the way and he is able to feel free once again. The writing also seemed incredibly believable and the tone had great darker undertones, which I loved. For I loved this book!
It accurately depicts a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how they are finally able to begin over coming it. Another thing, more than one person saved him. In several books, protagonists are always saved by a single person, typically a romantic interest, but in These Gentle Wounds, several people help him along the way and he is able to feel free once again. The writing also seemed incredibly believable and the tone had great darker undertones, which I loved.
For her debut novel, Helene Dunbar did an amazing job, from symbolism to tone. I would definitely recommend this if you like darker reads, it was incredible. Emotional, beautifully written debut. Gordie is a character who feels so real, and the boy POV is one of the best I've read in a while. As he lost himself in grief, I ached with him - that's how deeply the reader is placed in his head. I love reading sibling relationships in YA, and the bond between Gordie and his brother Kevin was both loving and complicated. The romance was also incredibly sincere.PTSD isn't something that solely affects members of the military.
And it's not something that Emotional, beautifully written debut. Gordie is a character who feels so real, and the boy POV is one of the best I've read in a while. As he lost himself in grief, I ached with him - that's how deeply the reader is placed in his head. I love reading sibling relationships in YA, and the bond between Gordie and his brother Kevin was both loving and complicated. The romance was also incredibly sincere.PTSD isn't something that solely affects members of the military. And it's not something that goes away in a month or a year. Helene Dunbar tackled a brave, important topic here, and I can't wait to read more from her.Thanks, NetGalley, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is one of those 'in a class all by itself' kind of books. The writing is gorgeous, real, moving. The story itself, well, it's as heartbreaking as it gets. If you've ever heard about a family tragedy and wondered, as I often do, 'How does a person pick up and go on after that?' Then read this book.
Gordie is a hero for being the caring, amazing kid he is despite what's happened to him. Reader advisory: read with a huge stash of tissues at the ready. Actually forget that - make it a This book is one of those 'in a class all by itself' kind of books. The writing is gorgeous, real, moving. The story itself, well, it's as heartbreaking as it gets.
If you've ever heard about a family tragedy and wondered, as I often do, 'How does a person pick up and go on after that?' Then read this book.
Gordie is a hero for being the caring, amazing kid he is despite what's happened to him. Reader advisory: read with a huge stash of tissues at the ready. Actually forget that - make it a beach towel. ' I realize I have no words for what Im feeling.Pain, loneliness, fear; those I know. Those I can name from miles away. I can see them coming like long-lost friends in the dark.But not this. I grasp at the words parading through my head.Safety.
None of them even come close'I WANT KEVIN AS MY BIG BRO ' I realize I have no words for what I’m feeling.Pain, loneliness, fear; those I know. Those I can name from miles away. I can see them coming like long-lost friends in the dark.But not this.
I grasp at the words parading through my head.Safety. None of them even come close'I WANT KEVIN AS MY BIG BRO. When I started reading These Gentle Wounds I felt like if someone spilled a bucket of cold water over my head. Seriously, this book chilled me at the beginning and a little bit more further inside.
I liked how Helene Dunbar wrote this story with stark honesty without sugarcoating the after effects of traumatizing events. Although it is sad, I think this is the best way to understand what the characters are really going through.Okay, maybe 'understand' is a strong word. Try to understand works When I started reading These Gentle Wounds I felt like if someone spilled a bucket of cold water over my head. Seriously, this book chilled me at the beginning and a little bit more further inside. I liked how Helene Dunbar wrote this story with stark honesty without sugarcoating the after effects of traumatizing events. Although it is sad, I think this is the best way to understand what the characters are really going through.Okay, maybe 'understand' is a strong word. Try to understand works better here.
I think I will never fully get what Gordie and the rest of the characters lived through, and I seriously don't wish to ever be in their positions. I admire their strength, bravery and support towards each other though. It's amazing even when everything is going so wrong. A good example of this is the relationship between Gordie and his half-brother, Kevin. I think it's so beautiful!
It's absolutely my favorite part of the story because their bond is so strong and pure. I just wish Kevin's dad would have been this way with both of them too.There's also a little bit of romance inside this book that will surely bring out a smile in your face. I smiled several times actually. After all, These Gentle Wounds is in a way a coming of age book. For Gordie, this finally is something bright to look forward to even when everything else is falling apart.All in all, I'm glad I had the chance to read These Gentle Wounds and to have met Gordie. It wasn't very gentle to my heart but I believe it's a great read.
I encourage you to give this book a try, and to not be afraid of getting a bit hurt in the process. It's worth it in the end.This review first appeared at and it was made possible thanks to a free review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A little out-of-step here, but this was so unrelentingly horrific that I almost rebelled by the end. Not that such an appalling combination of things was impossible for one kid to have experienced, sadly, but frankly, I didn't think he'd be capable of the kinds of relationships he stumblingly builds.
(Also, the romance? Nice but I didn't quite buy it.) It's always hard being inside the head of someone who's unable.and. unwilling to communicate, and the trope of 'I can't tell anyone about this, A little out-of-step here, but this was so unrelentingly horrific that I almost rebelled by the end. Not that such an appalling combination of things was impossible for one kid to have experienced, sadly, but frankly, I didn't think he'd be capable of the kinds of relationships he stumblingly builds. (Also, the romance? Nice but I didn't quite buy it.) It's always hard being inside the head of someone who's unable.and. unwilling to communicate, and the trope of 'I can't tell anyone about this, or they'd hate me forever' when the reader knows perfectly well that that's not the reaction the person would get, is one I find extraordinarily difficult.
This is, of course, meant to be a very difficult read, but all the same, enough finally got to be too much.I'm probably comparing this in some way with Pointe, although I didn't realise I was until I started writing this up, and Pointe is the winner in every way. Equally difficult, agonizingly so, in fact, but it achieves its power by a lightness of touch, rather than a bludgeoning. I know it's probably not fair, but I also have a bit of a bias against YA novels that show therapists/counselors/mental health institutions in a totally negative light. This certainly does that, although admittedly, the institution is only a threat (manipulated by the most evil character imaginable, and warned of by Gordie's loving if flawed brother). 'I'm really, really tired of the past'Alright guys; time to admit something embarrassing. You know that feeling when you're book shopping on Amazon, and it's the wee hours of the morning, and you feel absolutely invincible?
That's how I snagged a copy of this book. I binge bought books on Amazon at three am, and this book had caught my interest.I am so freaking glad I did. This book did so many things right. It handled an array of dark and deep topic manners in a realistic way that wasn't 'I'm really, really tired of the past'Alright guys; time to admit something embarrassing. You know that feeling when you're book shopping on Amazon, and it's the wee hours of the morning, and you feel absolutely invincible? That's how I snagged a copy of this book. I binge bought books on Amazon at three am, and this book had caught my interest.I am so freaking glad I did.
This book did so many things right. It handled an array of dark and deep topic manners in a realistic way that wasn't romanticized. Even though I still enjoy YA with deep and dark themes that's romanticized, it's like a breath a fresh air when it isn't. There was nothing sugar-coated about what was happening to Gordie, and to be honest, I spent a lot of time squirming in my seat.I'm going to keep this spoiler free, since I really want those of you who this interests to pick it up. I haven't read a novel that hits PTSD, anxiety, child abuse, mental illness, or makeshift families so realistically but fantastically in ages.Please just read this. This book is so important and while it's not in the top ten teen reads lists yet, it should be. TW: PTSD, Child abuse.I'm overwhelmed with emotions right now.
Here's a list on why I loved this book:the main character.Gordie is absolutely precious okay? The things he went through were so cruel and awful; my heart hurts for this soft and beautiful boy.sibling bonding.The PTSD father effects both brothers so their bond is strong yet flawed. I loved how they looked out for each other, and how Kevin kicks into big bro mode for Gordiesophie.This girl is incredibly kind and understanding, and TW: PTSD, Child abuse.I'm overwhelmed with emotions right now.
Here's a list on why I loved this book:.the main character.Gordie is absolutely precious okay? The things he went through were so cruel and awful; my heart hurts for this soft and beautiful boy.sibling bonding.The PTSD father effects both brothers so their bond is strong yet flawed.
I loved how they looked out for each other, and how Kevin kicks into big bro mode for Gordie.sophie.This girl is incredibly kind and understanding, and I ship!! Things were a bit too fast but cute nevertheless.great teachers and supporting characters.Gordie needed someone who was willing to listen to what he went through. There were so many amazing teachers looking out for him and also Ms.DeSiliva!.how it portrays the bad.Abuse is a difficult topic to write about but the author bought out everything.
It was so realistically scary and made me realize how tough the world is for kids.mental health.Obviously the effect of abuse is terrible and all the emotions were written in so raw, it just hits you in the gut.A very strong book and a hidden gem. That feeling when your instinct urges you to buy a random book that you come across, and you end up falling in love.it's indescribable.As usual, I was at Kinokuniya, looking for the final installment of the KL Noir series. Out of habit, I browsed the Young Adult section, and I came across this book. These Gentle Wounds. How can you not fall in love with the title alone? Perfect, perfect title for a brilliantly written book.These Gentle Wounds (I can never grow tired writing and saying the book That feeling when your instinct urges you to buy a random book that you come across, and you end up falling in love.it's indescribable.As usual, I was at Kinokuniya, looking for the final installment of the KL Noir series. Out of habit, I browsed the Young Adult section, and I came across this book.
These Gentle Wounds. How can you not fall in love with the title alone? Perfect, perfect title for a brilliantly written book.These Gentle Wounds (I can never grow tired writing and saying the book title) is a debut novel by Helene Dunbar, and I'll say right from the start, she's one to look out for. The book starts like this:ONEThe last thing I saw before he car hit the water was an eagle pasted against the sky.And what I remember is this: his tapered wings filled the width of the dirty window; the air held him up with the promise of magic; he looked free.I used to dream about that bird.But I don't have dreams anymore.All I have are memories.Bam! If the title is not enough to pull you in, the opening passages will do the work. The novel centers around Gordie 'Ice' Allen, a fifteen-year-old boy who survived after his mother drove her car into a river five years back, with him and his three younger siblings in it. All he has left is his older half-brother Kevin who shared the same mother.
His abusive father disappeared after the funeral, and now all Gordie wants is a semblance of normalcy.But what is normal when you have to live with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that looms over you every single day for the past five years? This is the basis for the story arc in These Gentle Wounds.Far off in the distance, a yellow balloon rises in the sky. Some kid must have let go of it. I wish so badly I could catch the string in my hand and let it pull me away.It's words like these that pull you in deeper.
There's an understated brilliance in Ms Dunbar's writing. The words do not distract you by their beauty, but lends to the broken beauty that is Gordie. The words are not big, but they ring true.
They make Gordie and his brother Kevin into flesh and bones, and you can't help but feel the urge to hug them close and tell them that everything's going to be okay, because they need to know that.Because you need them to know that.Because you need to know that.Before the event that forever altered his life, Gordie's father wanted him to be a hockey star. Now that his father is out of the picture, ice hockey becomes his salvation. That is, until his father enters the picture and wants him back. Just when he's finally doing okay, with a potential love interest in the new girl Sarah Miller, his life starts to spin out of control again.Kevin, equally broken, has always been Gordie's anchor, his strength. When Sarah enters the equation, he feels as though his role as the guardian is being replaced, and he lashes out. The darker side of him surfaces, but his character is so compelling that you feel for him.Sarah, despite her being a troubled child, always in the shadows of her elder brother, and everything a rebellious teenager is, becomes perfection in comparison. I love how Ms Dunbar doesn' make her that unobtainable queen bee.
I love how she is a just a regular girl who knows what she wants. And the romance between Sarah and Gordie is tentative, just hinted at.
I love this.The one criticism that I have is about Jordan who, when compared to the main characters, isn't fully fleshed out, becomes a plot device. For someone who plays a pivotal role in motivating Gordie's actions, he is sorely underdeveloped and underplayed.In an umbrella-genre that's inundated with selfish, insecure teenagers whose only thoughts are how to make a guy/girl fall in love with them, a novel about a boy dealing with PTSD is a much-needed breath of fresh air.May These Gentle Wounds help kids who need to know that they deserve to be loved, that they deserve to live.May Ms Dunbar keep producing more important works like this.
I wanted to read this one because I needed to know more about Gordie and what his dramatic past was that wounded him on the inside. I also like to read a book from a male POV, and see how Gordie deals with it and tries to move on with his life.The brotherly relationship with Kevin was awesome and I loved how that, and themes of family whether close, coming back into life, forgiveness, being hurt, and all that comes with letting people into our hearts and the messiest and most emotional parts I wanted to read this one because I needed to know more about Gordie and what his dramatic past was that wounded him on the inside. I also like to read a book from a male POV, and see how Gordie deals with it and tries to move on with his life.The brotherly relationship with Kevin was awesome and I loved how that, and themes of family whether close, coming back into life, forgiveness, being hurt, and all that comes with letting people into our hearts and the messiest and most emotional parts of lives.The inclusion of hockey also made me happy. I enjoy the Canes, and going to games, talking about hockey, watching it and getting into the head of a hockey player. How it centers him and focuses on the puck and stopping it is an interesting way to deal and help him with his mind and anxiety/flashbacks.It is hard watching him do what he calls his spins, he relives the Day, as he called it, that his mom tried to kill him, and succeeded in killing herself and other kids, he thinks to get back at his dad. He doesn't want to die, but he claws at the walls, chews on things, has a desire to try to fly and step off the roof.
Kevin does everything he can to protect and ground Gordie. But we see glimpses of violence from him, and instability and that makes Kevin's character even more well rounded and although its hard to read, we know that he never puts himself first, but he has learned to change himself a little at a time, but he too, has a hard road ahead for healing.Nothing is sugar coated or glossed over. We see chilling and scary glimpses from the childhood of Kevin and Gordie. There is abuse, and a mother who does unthinkable things. I can't imagine her mindset but I obvuobviously wish she could have gotten out of the relationship with Gordie's father for her sake and the kids and gotten help.
But it didn't work that way and Gordie lives with the pain, fear, guilt, abandonment, and trauma everyday.When his dad comes back in the picture, it is hard not to be angry and want justice served to him. Gordie's memories of him, and the relationship between his dad and mom wasn't positive, and its hard to reconcile when you are a teen and a parent suddenly wants back in your life.The romance in this one made me smile. It was cute and sweet.
I was so glad that Sarah accepted Gordie as he was and saw through to what Gordie thought that only Kevin would. I love their stark conversations, the honesty, and the ability to just be quiet and together when Gordie couldn't find his words or spun a bit.The synopsis really got to me and it is so true. Not to minimize outward physical disabilities, but if you are missing an arm, somehow people can understand that to some degree. They could try to do things one handed for a bit to get a perspective of what he feels.
But if it is mental illness, whether depression, anxiety or what I believe is PTSD with Gordie. If your brain doesn't work right, you really can't understand, just get over it, mind over matter, just do this, just do that is heard all too often, when it is not that simple.It was amazing and heartbreaking, emotional and handles all of these subjects so well. I devour reads like this.Bottom Line: Chilling, gritty powerful story about a boy trying to heal after traumatic event. It's been five years since the tragic day when 15-year-old Gordie's mother drove herself and four of her kids into the river. Gordie should be thankful he survived, but, most days, it feels like a curse. Plagued by guilt over his inability to save his mother and siblings, Gordie struggles to keep his panic attacks and stress-induced ticks under control.
Hockey and living with his half-brother, Kevin, and Kevin's father, Jim, has kept Gordie grounded, as well as his budding relationship with It's been five years since the tragic day when 15-year-old Gordie's mother drove herself and four of her kids into the river. Gordie should be thankful he survived, but, most days, it feels like a curse.
Plagued by guilt over his inability to save his mother and siblings, Gordie struggles to keep his panic attacks and stress-induced ticks under control. Hockey and living with his half-brother, Kevin, and Kevin's father, Jim, has kept Gordie grounded, as well as his budding relationship with photographer Sarah, but he starts to lose control when his estranged birth father reenters the picture, demanding custody. Gordie and Kevin have never told anyone about the Gordie's father's violent tendencies and abuse and now it might be too late. Can Gordie face the painful truths of his past to save his future?Wow. This novel deals with seriously intense subject matter. Immediately, I was pulled into the painful tragedy of Gordie's life - how could you not be? He was just a little boy when his mother made the fateful decision to drive her car filled with her children into the river.
It's impossible not to be just as lost and confused as Gordie is; understanding how and why a mother could do that is not an easy task as reader or as the son that survived.Despite the dark subject matter of THESE GENTLE WOUNDS, author Helene Dunbar punctuates the heaviness with moments, people, and memories that offer hope and solace. In Dunbar's skilled hands, Gordie's story is survivable, even in it's horrible sadness. And it needs to be survivable for Gordie to find his way through the aftermath.One source of light was Sarah, the girl who surprises Gordie with her candor and kindness, providing him with a distraction and refuge from the turbulence of his past and the reemergence of his father. Sarah is unique in that she's ignorant of Gordie's past. She shows him that he is more than the boy that survived; his mother's son; his father's possession.I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you so much!.These Gentle Wounds was a wonderful book, and also very inspiring. Not that I was jealous of what Gordie went through but I think it's also a story about human strength and that was very beautiful.Five years ago, Gordie has been through his own personal hell. And somehow, he's never truly left it. He lives with his half-brother Kevin now and his brother's dad Jim, but in his.I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!.These Gentle Wounds was a wonderful book, and also very inspiring.
Not that I was jealous of what Gordie went through but I think it's also a story about human strength and that was very beautiful.Five years ago, Gordie has been through his own personal hell. And somehow, he's never truly left it. He lives with his half-brother Kevin now and his brother's dad Jim, but in his mind there's no way to stop reliving That Day again and again and again. Gordie is suffering from PTSD and the only person who knows to what extent exactly is his brother. Luckily, he finds some distraction in his favorite sport, ice-hockey.
But then, Gordie's real father makes an appearance and he meets a girl and everything's about to change.I loved Helene Dunbar's debut novel. It was so heart-breakingly beautiful. I felt like weeping for this poor boy the whole time because his destiny is just so unfair (like he says himself).
The book is totally focused on Gordie and his problems. What I liked best about the whole novel was Gordie's relationship with his brother Kevin. That was so beautiful! They had this incredibly strong connection. I thought the whole time how hard it must be for Kevin to always be the strong one, trying to keep his younger brother centered in his life when he's constantly spinning away.
I wished for him that people would realize how much he has gone through himself, that Gordie's not the only victim.sigh. I could understand his anger and aggression perfectly well.Gordie himself thought that he was weak when Sarah, his lawyer and his brother try to make him see how strong he actually is.
I loved that Dunbar doesn't go for the miracle because there's no easy solution to his problems. She rather tells this moving story and shows us how Gordie needs to believe in his strength and start taking his problems in his hands and do something about them.Dunbar's writing is exceptional and her imagery very unusual. But it provides such a fascinating and unique insight into Gordie's mind.
Sometimes, he doesn't have control over his body and sometimes his mind. It's so damn frustrating but he can't do anything about it.These Gentle Wounds is an amazing book and should find heaps of readers. Everybody who likes the YA genre and contemporary stories will definitely love this book, I'm absolutely sure of that.
Called the 'queen of heartbreaking prose' by Paste Magazine, Helene Dunbar is the author of WE ARE LOST AND FOUND (Sourcebooks, September 2019), which has been optioned for film by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's production company, Ill Kippers, and PRELUDE FOR LOST SOULS (August, 2020) as well as BOOMERANG, THESE GENTLE WOUNDS, and WHAT REMAINS. Over the years, she's worked as a drama critic, journalist, Called the 'queen of heartbreaking prose' by Paste Magazine, Helene Dunbar is the author of WE ARE LOST AND FOUND (Sourcebooks, September 2019), which has been optioned for film by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's production company, Ill Kippers, and PRELUDE FOR LOST SOULS (August, 2020) as well as BOOMERANG, THESE GENTLE WOUNDS, and WHAT REMAINS.
Over the years, she's worked as a drama critic, journalist, and marketing manager, and has written on topics as diverse as traditional Irish music, court cases, and theater. She lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter.