The Law of Inertia by S. Gonzales

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Law of Inertia by S. Gonzales Karen Coats Gonzales, S. The Law of Inertia. Amberjack, 2018 [353p] Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-944995-87-4 $12.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 9-12 When Ash jumps off a bridge, his boyfriend James is devastated, but when Ash's elder brother, Elliot, leaves town immediately afterward, James suspects something more nefarious than suicide. James seeks Elliot via an internet appeal, which makes its way to a girl named Louise, who works with Elliot in a town six hours away. Louise presses Elliot for answers to no avail, but when James threatens to go to the police, she agrees to help get the boys together to talk—a plan that doesn't turn out as either she or James expected. The narrative unfolds through the accounts of Louise, James, and Ash, flashing back to the development of Ash's feelings for James and his depression and forward to the present mystery of how Elliot was involved. The underlying story of a boy who thought he was straight but finds himself falling for his best friend is not an original plot, and the post-suicide exploration is similarly familiar. However, the sensitive and thorough exploration of Ash's depression takes center stage here. He and Elliot have been bounced from foster home to foster home, mostly because Elliot's rebellious, self-medicating behavior repeatedly proves too much to handle. Ash is the gentler brother, acting out in ways that garner more sympathy and bids for understanding, such as cutting, not eating, and attempting suicide. The book takes a strange turn in suggesting that therapy and adult interventions are less effective for treating serious depression than finding new friends and gaining more autonomy, but the end does offer a hopeful, things-get-better vibe. Suicide prevention resources are included. KC Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois