Scott and Cath, best friends since the age of five, are now separated by hundreds of miles while she is off at college in North Carolina and he remains in Maryland, working at his father’s clothing shop. The next year in their friendship, 1982 to 1983, unfolds as a series of letters. Playful banter, private jokes, dark family secrets, and major life changes are all explored in the intimate exchanges, with stationery headers subtly denoting shifts in location and circumstance. The effect is a bit like snooping through someone else’s mail as adult author Kun (Everybody Says Hello) and newcomer Mullen craft separate and authentic voices for their protagonists. There are a few hiccups when the format becomes an illogical plot device, as when it’s used to deliver news of a sudden death, despite the availability of telephones. But more often than not the correspondence allows for a deep understanding of Scott and Cath’s thoughts, feelings, and ruminations on the events changing their lives.
Publisher's Weekly - September, 2016
An exchange of letters (hey, it's 1982!) between two longtime best friends strengthens their relationship. Scott's first letter to Cath thanks her for "four years of English homework" and wishes her well in college. His next letter contains both spelling mistakes and hilariously misused quotation marks. But in spite of deliberately downplaying his decision to underachieve, skip college, and work at the family business, both Scott's voice and Cath's reminder that he's "way smarter" than most people at her college set the stage for his potential regret. And working at his dad's clothing store does set up situations in which customers' behaviors do make Scott feel socially diminished and frustrated. But the job also expands his relationship with his father, which Scott appreciates during reflective moments. Meanwhile, Cath finds college enlightening, though her roommate and navigating the college dating scene present challenges. Her parents' divorce and the impending birth of her half sister further strain her academic focus. Through it all Scott and Cath's letters perfectly capture the richness of their relationship—from silly inside jokes to heartfelt support during crisis moments and even occasionally very real frustration with the other's decisions. Their unflinchingly honest voices as they navigate the transition to adulthood create the book's emotional resonance. Racial identity never figures in the correspondence. Though there's tantalizing potential romance, the novel is mostly a love story to best friends everywhere. Smart, charming, and delightful.
Kirkus Reviews - Ju1y, 2016