The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison
Ben was a stay at home dad until a tragic accident claimed the lives of his two children and ended his marriage. He is understandably depressed. When he has almost depleted his meager savings he enrolls in a night class called The Fundamentals of Caregiving. There he learns how to care for extremely ill clients and keep himself emotionally removed. Enter Trevor, a typical 19-year-old trapped in a horribly uncooperative body. Trevor is slowly dying from his condition and Ben can’t help but become emotionally involved. After various misunderstandings and misadventures Ben and Trevor hit the road to visit Trevor’s father.
In a word: bittersweet. There is so much tragedy overhanging the novel but the humor makes you laugh, and then you feel sort of guilty about laughing. I enjoyed the book, but I didn’t enjoy the jerky emotional roller coaster. Yes, what happened to Ben was unbelievably horrible, but stretching out the reveal in alternate chapters throughout the entire novel really made your head spin.
