Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen

By Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek & Juston Paul
Published: Poppy, 2018
Pages: 358
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Amazon, Goodreads

That's the gift that he gave me . . . to show me that I wasn't alone. To show me that I matter.

About the book

When a letter that was never meant to be seen draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, Evan is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to pretend that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.

Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore - even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy's parents have taken him in like he's their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his "closest friend." as Evan gets pulled deeper into the family's swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he's doing can't be right, but if he's helping people, how wrong can it be?

No longer incapacitated by anxiety or hiding from the disappointment in his mother's eyes, this new Evan has a purpose. And confidence. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face-to-face with his greatest obstacle: himself.

Review

I haven't been able to see the broadway show, but I love the soundtrack and everything that is Dear Evan Hansen. I was Evan growing up: extremely anxious, lonely and yearning to fit in. It didn't even matter where or what clique I was in, I just wanted to belong. The story of Dear Evan Hansen is profound and necessary for anyone who's felt like Evan.

Now that I've expressed my true love for the DEH story in general, let's get to the book. I devoured the book in a day. The writing is gripping and I truly felt Evan's anxiety because I've been there... my entire life I've been there. The characters are great, and the plot is strong.

I can understand why some readers may dislike this book. On the surface, a teenager is lying to a grieving family. This monstrosity turned me off at first glance - it would anyone. The thing is, though, this interaction shows how paralyzed Evan is by his anxiety. I'm an adult now, and obviously I would have told Connor's parents right off the bat that the letter wasn't written by Connor, but thinking back to my time in middle school and the early part of high school, I might not have made the same decision. I remember I used to just agree with whatever someone else said because my anxiety gripped me so hard that I couldn't move or speak.

I did have a hard time reviewing DEH the novel. I was going to give it three puppies but bumped my rating up to four puppies because of the story's message.

The message of DEH is loud and clear: no matter what you're going through, no matter what you're feeling right now, you will be found and you will belong. I cannot express how important this message is. Teenagers and young adults are constantly bombarded with negative imagery and communications via media and the Internet. The Internet and text messaging has depersonalized communication, which makes cyber bullying more prevalent, and our world seem more lonely.

RATING (out of five puppies):