Dispatches from Parts Unknown
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected May 7, 2024
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- $10.99
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- Pre-Order
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
“The feel-good novel of the year.” —ALA Booklist (starred review)
Julie knows it’s unusual that a professional wrestler runs a constant commentary on her life that only she can hear. But grief can be awfully funny sometimes. National Book Award nominee Bryan Bliss delivers a thought-provoking, one-of-a-kind novel about how to tread the line between moving on and holding on. Dispatches from Parts Unknown is for fans of David Arnold, Nina LaCour, and You’ve Reached Sam.
Ever since her dad died three years ago, Julie has been surviving more than thriving. And surviving is sneaking into her parents’ closet when her mom is out, since it’s the only place that still sometimes smells like her dad. It’s roaming around the Mall of America. It’s pulling out the box of her dad’s VHS tapes, recordings of his favorite vintage professional wrestling matches.
And it’s hearing the voice of the Masked Man in her head, running a commentary of her life.
It’s embarrassing, really. Sure, he was her dad’s favorite wrestler, but that doesn’t mean she wants him in her head.
As Julie finally starts to come out of the haze of grief, maybe she’ll finally figure out why that voice is there, and how to let it go.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A mourning Minneapolis teen's final semester of high school takes a surprising turn in this hopeful novel from Bliss (Thoughts & Prayers). Since Julie's father died three years ago, she's been engaged in silent conversation with an imaginary version of her dad's favorite pro wrestler, the Masked Man. Julie and the Man typically spend their free time watching old wrestling matches that her dad recorded, and visiting her best friend Max during his shifts at the mall's Orange Julius. Then Julie's teacher, Mr. Wentz, asks her to help plan prom. The committee is mired in conflict, he claims, and needs no-nonsense Julie to cut "through the crap." A reluctant Julie expects to hate every moment; however, in the process of mediating a weeks-long argument between Catholic school transfer student Briar and skateboarder Leg regarding the suitability of Top Gun as a prom theme, Julie finally starts to heal. The plot lacks complexity and the Masked Man conceit feels haphazardly integrated, but Bliss writes incisively about grief, approaching a weighty topic with empathy, grace, and genial humor. Sweet, caring relationships—parental, platonic, and romantic—add to the uplifting tone. All characters cue as white. Ages 13–up.
