Sony Luvs Books

Being Henry David is a literary feast I loved the narration of Hank’s inner thoughts they’re on the same level as R’s in Warm Bodies. Intelligent and descriptive. Hank’s odyssey to discover his true identity is precarious path that takes him fro the streets of New York city to the town of Concord, Massachusetts. Hoping that the familiarity and comfort he feels from his soul possession. A copy of Walden by Henry David Thoreau would yield answers. I’m intrigued by Hank. Most stories are formulaic and have cues that make it easy to guess the plot, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It empowers the reader with a sense of control and intelligence. But sometimes you just want to be blindly led down a rabbit hole, with BHD the story was unique I never knew where the story was going until I got here. I liked the unpredictability of Being Henry David, that unbalanced sense of not knowing what was going on. It was a nice distraction from the pace kudos to writer Armistead for that.Hank is a great male character I haven’t read too many books with male leads. To date I’ve only loved two male characters Lestat from interview with a vampire. R from Warm Bodies now Hank from Being Henry David has made to that exclusive club. Hank was a mystery and the more I got to know him the more frustrated I felt because the big picture wasn’t quite clear as the flashes that sparked his recollection grows. I wanted to reach through the pages and hug him and offer him a room to stay as long as he needed. The story was beautifully written without unneeded embellishment the words flow naturally in a rhythm. Writer Armistead has a great sense of character and can handle many difficult plot devices like a pro. Dream sequences, flashbacks are not easy to write but she does a beautiful job of keeping the rhythm of the book. Depicting the stressful, and heart pounding scenes honestly–for instance when Hank trips the alarm at the school alerting the authorities. The nail biting scene of him hiding under the bleachers as the cop shines a light on the drip from his wet clothes is a perfect example.My gripes aren’t too many the first the pacing. Even though there are some nail biting scenes in the book the mood felt slow and somber. The barely there romance. BHD disintegrates into an ode to Walden and if you have a low tolerance for the classics this could become annoying. I hated the that they were unresolved fates of some characters. The multiple stories could have been tied to together better this was a weak link for me. The ending I felt cheated with my reward after reading the whole book, it wasn’t resolved to my satisfaction.But can I take a minute to play devil’s advocate here. Say you are Henry and wake up with no memory. Injured $10 in your pocket. Wouldn’t you ask the cops for help? I mean all the suffering he goes through could have been avoided. Sure the story might have been different but it would have made more sense. Just putting that out there okay ratings time I gave Being Henry David a three and half stars out five. I would recommend for 18+ and if you are a fan of contemporary or realistic fiction. 3.5 / 5