It took me two weeks to get through this book, so I’m a little behind my book a week target, but I’m sure I’ll catch up.
The Go Between tells the story, through the narrators eyes, of a childhood summer – prompted by re-discovering his diary from 1900. As a child, he visited a friend for the summer, and took the role of note passer for some of the grown-up characters. The consequences, ultimately, are complicated and sad.
As so much of this focuses on the thoughts and feelings of a 13 year old boy, it often felt to me a little over-analysed. I’ve forgotten that, as a 13 year old, I would also have analysed small events just as much,. Reading The Go Between reminded me of how much, as an adult, we gloss over the details when we need to. To me, one of the main elements of the story is responsibility – the responsibility felt by the child Leo, and the avoidance of responsibility shown by some of the adult characters.
I struggled to get through this quickly, as the story didn’t carry me along. It was intricate and thought provoking, if at times a little frustrating.
