Book Review: Monday's Not Coming

If you wish to improve your writing ability (as I do), it is best to read what is popular in your chosen genre (for me, YA). However, the popular selections in YA today often make me uncomfortable (filled with questionable content). This book, Monday's Not Coming, won't appeal to everyone. It is gritty and raw. It is, as Laurie Halse Anderson calls it, "a mesmerizing, punch-in-the-gut story." Despite plenty of cursing and references to sexual behavior, I couldn't stop turning pages. I was desperate to learn the outcome. Although told by an African-American narrator, the story is important for all people and races because it treats a societal ill we cannot afford to ignore. And that is the heart of this tale: society ignoring the signs.

Claudia Coleman returns from her summer away at her grandmother's house eager to hook up with her lifelong best friend, Monday Charles. It seems unusual that Monday's phone has been disconnected. When her friend fails to show up on the first day of school (her favorite place of sanctuary), it convinces Claudia something is wrong. Yet, she cannot get a straight answer from Monday's mother or her sister, April. Monday must know how much Claudia depends on her to navigate the troubled waters of middle school. Why would she abandon Claudia to fight these battles on her own? Moreover, why won't anyone listen or help her find her best friend? Is April right? Did Monday hide her true nature from Claudia because she feared judgment and shame? Is something wrong, or does Monday merely no longer wish to be her friend?

This hard-hitting YA novel paints a painful portrait of fierce friendship and a terrifyingly believable account of a tween who slips through the cracks. Tiffany D. Jackson provides a compelling voice and well-developed characters. Her writing is seamless. Her pacing is, for the most part, precise and powerful (I occasionally wished it would get to the outcome faster).

While difficult to read and outside my comfort zone, I don't regret the time invested. I might even consider attempting Jackson's debut novel, Allegedly. That novel received equally high praise. Kirkus Review and Publishers Weekly labelled it "well conceived and executed," "searing and true," and "absorbing and exceptional." If you can look past the language and moral issues (necessary to portray realistic characters), this book provides a thought-provoking, socially-significant read.