Here I am, with another book review of a book that’s going to make you cry. Today, we’ll look at Speechless by Adam P. Schmitt.
Now, let me just tell you, this book crossed the limits of beauty, meaningfulness and … I don’t know, the ability to make you feel.
You can actually cry over the death of this character no matter how repulsive he might look to others.
Speechless by Adam P. Schmitt
This is what it’s about: Jimmy’s cousin Patrick is dead. On his funeral, Jimmy is asked to give a speech.
But the thing is—they didn’t get along, the two of them. What can Jimmy ever say? When he actually quite frankly hated Patrick?
Speechless by Adam P. Schmitt is a heartfelt and humorous middle-grade novel about loss, family, and finding your voice when it matters most.
Twelve-year-old Jimmy is dreading his cousin Patrick’s funeral—not just because Patrick was difficult to be around, but because Jimmy has been chosen to give the eulogy. As he struggles to find the right words, he reflects on Patrick’s life, their complicated relationship, and the messy, often unspoken emotions that come with grief. Through memories both frustrating and funny, Jimmy learns that sometimes, speaking up is the hardest—but most important—thing to do.
Perfect for fans of Restart by Gordon Korman and The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, Speechless is a poignant, witty, and thought-provoking story about family, forgiveness, and the power of words.
What made me cry was how the author presented this contrast between the Patrick from the past and the Patrick from the present, who’s, well, dead. That’s one difference.
The Patrick from the past who was alive and well and healthy and a little too active, was fun and kinda annoying. Mainly annoying. He was a troubled kid.
The Patrick now is silent and still and dead.
The book kicks off with Jimmy cursing his suffocating pants. He’s at his brother’s funeral, but, ah well, the pants are awful. To top it off, his mum asks him to do something for his Aunt Rose and Uncle Mike at Patrick’s funeral—say a few words about him in front of all those people.
And that’s the thing, Jimmy doesn’t know what to say. What can he say about Patrick—Patrick the troublemaker, the loud, the rowdy, the one who made life difficult for everyone around him?
He picked fights, he caused chaos, he yelled all the time.
What good could Jimmy say about Patrick at his funeral? How was Jimmy even expected to handle Patrick’s funeral? With what frustration? Guilt? Relief? Relief?Why relief? Why the heck?
You hate someone, but can you wish them dead? Do you hate them enough to wish they were dead? Why would you do that?
All the times when Patrick made life hell for Jimmy and Jimmy wished Patrick would die—were those really true? No, right? You want someone dead, but, like, not really. No.
The human emotions and relations that this book touches upon are so complex and layered. By shifting between the two narratives of the past and the present we see the different emotions Jimmy is going through.
In the past, when Patrick was alive and did something to hurt the people around him, did Jimmy himself ever imagine that the day Patrick would die would come—so soon? Did Jimmy ever think? Obviously not.
That’s why he could hate Patrick with all his might then. But now, how can you hate someone who’s not around to see it?
As he struggles to find words for Patrick, to get over his fear of public speaking, to hide in the bathroom from all the people—how does he bear it? Surely this is unexpected.
Surely this has made him speechless.
I’m feeling sorry for Patrick because no one understood him until it was too late.
I’m feeling sorry for Patrick’s little sister, because she’s just a little girl who’s lost 90 percent of her hearing and doesn’t know that her brother is never coming home.
I’m feeling sorry for Patrick’s parents because I can’t look at their sorrow.
I’m feeling sorry for Jimmy because he doesn’t realize it yet.
