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My Dearest Jonah
Nominated for the Dylan Thomas Prize, a novel of long-distance love. “There is an assured precision to Crow’s observations that cannot be learned” (Jonathan Trigell, award-winning author of Boy A). “Like you I’ve been feeling forlorn of late. I don’t know how long you have to be somewhere before it begins to feel normal, before you start to feel as though you belong . . . And so all I have is you. Your letters and the thought that somewhere, something good exists in my life. For now that seems enough to get by on.” Introduced via a pen-pal scheme, Verity and Jonah write their lives, hopes and dreams to one another without ever having met. Verity is a fragile beauty. When a dangerous sequence of events is set in motion, she tries to explain to Jonah what led her to unravel so spectacularly. Jonah has been released after years of imprisonment and embarks upon the quiet life he’s always wanted. But then a dark reminder shatters his world, keen to make history repeat itself. Offering the sole strand of stability in two progressively elaborate lives, they develop a deep and delicate love, a love that becomes clouded and threatened by increasingly dark forces. Praise for Matthew Crow’s In Bloom “The Fault in Our Stars meets Adrian Mole. Moving, funny and brilliantly narrated.”—Metro “Wow. Read In Bloom right now. It will improve your life.”—Matt Haig, international bestselling author “A moving and wonderfully witty tale . . . This excellent book is worth anyone’s time.”—Daily Telegraph
247 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Crow
50 books32 followersMatthew was born and raised in Newcastle and began freelancing for newspapers and magazines whilst still at school, writing about the arts and pop culture.
He has written four novels, Ashes and My Dearest Jonah - the second of which was nominated for the Dylan Thomas Prize for Literature - and one book for young adults, In Bloom, which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and the North East Teen Book Award, and listed in the Telegraph's Best YA of 2014 List.
His fourth book, Another Place, will also be for young adults and was published by Atom in August 2017.
He has written four novels, Ashes and My Dearest Jonah - the second of which was nominated for the Dylan Thomas Prize for Literature - and one book for young adults, In Bloom, which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and the North East Teen Book Award, and listed in the Telegraph's Best YA of 2014 List.
His fourth book, Another Place, will also be for young adults and was published by Atom in August 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 1, 2014
After finishing this book, I have decided that I liked it more than I thought I would. It was different from what I was expecting, probably because the Netgalley synopsis was a bit vague as to what it was about. But I still enjoyed it and think that Crow created an interesting story.
My Dearest Jonah is about two people, Jonah and Verity, who met through a pen-pal service and had been writing letters to each other for a while. They are each at strange points in their lives and sometimes get caught up in bad things. Once you get far enough into the book, you will see that the two of them are very similar: they are both tough survivors, independent, but needing the other emotionally. Both Jonah and Verity are being followed by people looking to hurt them or take something from them. Their situations become intertwined and they look to each other for guidance. In the end you learn surprising things about the two of them and discover that their fates weren't entirely unavoidable.
This novel is written in the form of letter correspondences and it is unclear whether the two have ever met in person (although I think they haven't). I usually don't like books that are written in letter from because it tends to be a lazy way of building the story and there is basically no connections made between the characters of these stories. My Dearest Jonah was not much better than those books in this regard. It felt like the letters were only chunks of the story with "Dear Jonah/Verity" and "Sincerely, Verity/Jonah" at the beginnings and ends. Some people would say this is a good thing, that the plot has continuity and flows like this but I think that it didn't work out so well in My Dearest Jonah. Of course, the letters didn't sound like real letters but I wouldn't expect them to. There is a lot of dialogue and that also felt a bit unrealistic, which makes me think that another format would have been better for this story.
Jonah and Verity supposedly have a close relationship. And they kind of do, I mean, they tell each other about their criminal lives. But it felt awkward that the letters were so disconnected. For example, they never actually addressed anything said in the other's letters and only briefly discussed their letter exchange. I think some readers might feel like this makes them seem self-centered and trying to outdo the other's problems by only focusing on their own. Maybe also because I was expecting a book more about their relationship and a normal pen-pal exchange I was surprised by how they talked to each other. It is obvious that they care for each other but it felt like they were only there for the other's emotional support.
I would still recommend reading My Dearest Jonah. It is well written and fast paced (especially the ending). It sometimes felt a bit confusing but overall was a good book.
My Dearest Jonah is about two people, Jonah and Verity, who met through a pen-pal service and had been writing letters to each other for a while. They are each at strange points in their lives and sometimes get caught up in bad things. Once you get far enough into the book, you will see that the two of them are very similar: they are both tough survivors, independent, but needing the other emotionally. Both Jonah and Verity are being followed by people looking to hurt them or take something from them. Their situations become intertwined and they look to each other for guidance. In the end you learn surprising things about the two of them and discover that their fates weren't entirely unavoidable.
This novel is written in the form of letter correspondences and it is unclear whether the two have ever met in person (although I think they haven't). I usually don't like books that are written in letter from because it tends to be a lazy way of building the story and there is basically no connections made between the characters of these stories. My Dearest Jonah was not much better than those books in this regard. It felt like the letters were only chunks of the story with "Dear Jonah/Verity" and "Sincerely, Verity/Jonah" at the beginnings and ends. Some people would say this is a good thing, that the plot has continuity and flows like this but I think that it didn't work out so well in My Dearest Jonah. Of course, the letters didn't sound like real letters but I wouldn't expect them to. There is a lot of dialogue and that also felt a bit unrealistic, which makes me think that another format would have been better for this story.
Jonah and Verity supposedly have a close relationship. And they kind of do, I mean, they tell each other about their criminal lives. But it felt awkward that the letters were so disconnected. For example, they never actually addressed anything said in the other's letters and only briefly discussed their letter exchange. I think some readers might feel like this makes them seem self-centered and trying to outdo the other's problems by only focusing on their own. Maybe also because I was expecting a book more about their relationship and a normal pen-pal exchange I was surprised by how they talked to each other. It is obvious that they care for each other but it felt like they were only there for the other's emotional support.
I would still recommend reading My Dearest Jonah. It is well written and fast paced (especially the ending). It sometimes felt a bit confusing but overall was a good book.
April 7, 2018
Too heavy
The writing style was too thick and heavy. DNF
The writing style was too thick and heavy. DNF
January 12, 2014
In words hide secrets...
This is superbly crafted and elegantly written narrative that uses the device of letter writing to explore the lives and perspectives of the two main characters – Verity and Jonah. Verity and Jonah have never physically met yet share a camaraderie and friendship based on loneliness and their individual strange circumstances; a supportive alliance is formed, perhaps even love?
I loved that the letter writing device maintained and disclosed the details two very different lives. The reader dangles on the hook, lusting for more details of the main characters lives as the tension is built. And what interesting characters they both are - I felt a sense of admiration for Jonah and the apparent efforts he was making to live a good life – silly me! How I was conned. (But no spoilers here) Verity was not quite as endearing, perhaps a little distant and not quite so engaging but as a character she allowed me a glimpse of a life that was strong, passionate, independent and courageous. She dared to live! She dared to dream, she was honest about herself, her life and her lifestyle. This character was quite a remarkable woman.
I found the writing itself almost lyrical, elegant and often caught myself almost reading the letters out loud – I think this would really be a wonderful experience – a stage /radio show perhaps? The language itself was interesting – often contradicting the academic and socio- economic levels of the characters - again I found this deliberate playing with language attractive and entertaining.
Throughout this narrative Matthew Crow displays an uncanny power of observation and understanding of the world and how it revolves. The writing is powerful and sensitive; the almost formal style of letter writing is particular engaging; the reader is often caught unawares when an expletive or action emerges that shocks as it does not fit this formal, genteel approach which is the style of the bulk of the letters. Perhaps this is Crow hinting that all is perhaps not quite as it seems on paper, hinting that we should be more observant and less reliant of the written word? I admire Crow’s use of language and the spectacular way the story unravels and turns the narrative on its head. This was a delight to read.
This is superbly crafted and elegantly written narrative that uses the device of letter writing to explore the lives and perspectives of the two main characters – Verity and Jonah. Verity and Jonah have never physically met yet share a camaraderie and friendship based on loneliness and their individual strange circumstances; a supportive alliance is formed, perhaps even love?
I loved that the letter writing device maintained and disclosed the details two very different lives. The reader dangles on the hook, lusting for more details of the main characters lives as the tension is built. And what interesting characters they both are - I felt a sense of admiration for Jonah and the apparent efforts he was making to live a good life – silly me! How I was conned. (But no spoilers here) Verity was not quite as endearing, perhaps a little distant and not quite so engaging but as a character she allowed me a glimpse of a life that was strong, passionate, independent and courageous. She dared to live! She dared to dream, she was honest about herself, her life and her lifestyle. This character was quite a remarkable woman.
I found the writing itself almost lyrical, elegant and often caught myself almost reading the letters out loud – I think this would really be a wonderful experience – a stage /radio show perhaps? The language itself was interesting – often contradicting the academic and socio- economic levels of the characters - again I found this deliberate playing with language attractive and entertaining.
Throughout this narrative Matthew Crow displays an uncanny power of observation and understanding of the world and how it revolves. The writing is powerful and sensitive; the almost formal style of letter writing is particular engaging; the reader is often caught unawares when an expletive or action emerges that shocks as it does not fit this formal, genteel approach which is the style of the bulk of the letters. Perhaps this is Crow hinting that all is perhaps not quite as it seems on paper, hinting that we should be more observant and less reliant of the written word? I admire Crow’s use of language and the spectacular way the story unravels and turns the narrative on its head. This was a delight to read.
May 12, 2014
Two people exchange letters.
I found the ‘letters’ were totally false in format / content / style. I struggled to finish this book.
I found the ‘letters’ were totally false in format / content / style. I struggled to finish this book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews