The Most Important Thing: Stories about Sons, Fathers, and Grandfathers by Avi (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Most Important Thing: Stories about Sons, Fathers, and Grandfathers by Avi Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor Avi The Most Important Thing: Stories about Sons, Fathers, and Grandfathers. Candlewick, 2016 [224p] ISBN 978-0-7636-8111-1 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-6 In seven short stories, Avi explores bonds spoken and unspoken among sons, fathers, grandsons, and grandfathers. The collection opens with “Dream Catcher,” an examination of how the traumas of war can echo through a family, affecting each generation in a different way. Charlie finds his own version of courage but it’s one that contradicts his father’s in “Beat Up.” The dynamics between a grandson and his grandfather shift in “The Amalfi Duo,” and Ryan approaches his mother’s engagement pragmatically, requiring an interview and several references for the man who will be his stepfather in “Tighty-Whities or Boxers?” Avi offers a multifaceted view of the way boys and men relate to each other, painting neither a perfectly rosy nor dreadfully bleak picture, and he gives space for each character’s personality, making it clear that the relationships are weighted both with history and the boys’ and men’s temperaments. Few of the stories offer complete resolution, instead offering a snapshot of an ongoing and shifting connection. Copyright © 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois