A Story Drenched in Grief | The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson

Title: The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley.
Author:  Shaun David Hutchinson.
Rating: 4.5 of

This is the second book I've read that is set up in a hospital. The first one was Unborn by Rose Christo and while it was just as depressing and dark(what else can you expect from a book that's set up entirely in a hospital?), there were plenty of light, funny moments that lift up your spirits and you sort of forget in those moments that some of the characters are actually on the edge of their lives and are barely surviving, and you find yourself smiling while your heart is breaking and your mind is still reeling from the horror of the characters' backstories. It is something I admire about Rose Christo a lot because not everyone can pull off that kind of humor in a setting where the characters are surrounded by death and grief. The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, on the other hand, is so heavy and filled to the brink with Drew's guilt and misery that the emotions almost press down on you like some kind of weight on your shoulders. They are so palpable, so tangible, your heart clenches in agony in response to Drew's pain. The fact that the book had that kind of impact on me says a lot about Shaun Hutchinson's writing. It's beautiful, but not in the way I find Melina Marchetta's or Charlotte McConaghy's writing beautiful; the kind that makes my breath hitch by the sheer beauty of words or the kind where my eyes roam again and again over the words until I feel like I have memorized them. No. Shaun Hutchinson's writing is beautiful in a melancholic way. It has a distinct mournful quality to it. The kind that makes you cry and you don't even realise you are crying until you taste the salt of your tears on your lips.
Now, let's talk about the story. Drew has been living in the hospital ever since his parents and sister died in the accident. He is stuck in place, full of grief and sorrow, too guilty of the accident to live outside of the place where his family died and too afraid of death finding him to move forward in life. Between escaping death and trying to keep his friends alive, Drew finds himself drawn to Rusty, the burn victim who was set on fire for being gay. While I loved their interactions and my heart hurt for both boys when they shared their stories, I wanted more scenes between them. Their romance felt a bit rushed. I wanted them to bond over things aside from their mutual suffering and pain. I wanted more random talks, more lame jokes, more teasing, more kissing, more laughter, more and more and more. But I guess the book wouldn't have been as dark and heavy then as the author intended. The only beam of light in this book was the friendship of Andrew, Trevor and Lexi but even that is tinged with the shadow of their sadness and their fear of losing each other. I savored every moment with these three and cried my eyes out when one of them dies(even though I knew it was coming).

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley is wrapped in layers and layers of sorrow, heartache and despair and though it was extremely dark and heartbreaking at times, it's also certainly one of the best books I read this year. The in-between illustrations by Christine Larsen of Andrew's drawings were an added bonus and made the story even more tragic than it already was.
All I can say is, Shaun David Hutchinson is an extremely talented writer and I have every intention of devouring all his other books.