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The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried
A good friend will bury your body, a best friend will dig you back up.
Dino doesn’t mind spending time with the dead. His parents own a funeral home, and death is literally the family business. He’s just not used to them talking back. Until Dino’s ex-best friend July dies suddenly—and then comes back to life. Except not exactly. Somehow July is not quite alive, and not quite dead.
As Dino and July attempt to figure out what’s happening, they must also confront why and how their friendship ended so badly, and what they have left to understand about themselves, each other, and all those grand mysteries of life.
Dino doesn’t mind spending time with the dead. His parents own a funeral home, and death is literally the family business. He’s just not used to them talking back. Until Dino’s ex-best friend July dies suddenly—and then comes back to life. Except not exactly. Somehow July is not quite alive, and not quite dead.
As Dino and July attempt to figure out what’s happening, they must also confront why and how their friendship ended so badly, and what they have left to understand about themselves, each other, and all those grand mysteries of life.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published February 19, 2019
146 people are currently reading
10626 people want to read
About the author
Shaun David Hutchinson
30 books5,023 followersShaun is a major geek and all about nerdy shenanigans. He is the author of many queer books for young adults. Find out more information at shaundavidhutchinson.com. He currently lives in Seattle and watches way too much Doctor Who.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 996 reviews
December 2, 2020
"Love is gradual and sneaky. It grows like weeds between the cracks of a hundred average moments."
I love this title more than the kids that I don't have. And I love this book just as much. It was different than Shaun's other books, but still a typical Hutchinson YA novel. Queer teens, weird and impossible situations as far as the eye can see, impeccable writing. And even though one of the most central themes is death, it's kind of uplifting and really not that depressing.
I really really really love Shaun David Hutchinson for his outspoken, loud and colourful novels. They're empowering. The LGBT+ representation is amazing, and they often discuss mental health and depression, which is why they tend to be rather dark. But they also talk about stigmatisation, about privilege, about homophobia and racism. They are fairly political, which also means that teens and adults alike will be entertained and learn about acceptance and tolerance at the same time.
I liked the friendship dynamic between Dino and July, ex-best friends who get one last chance to resolve their issues when July comes back to life after dying from a sudden aneurysm. On the one hand, they were constantly at each other's throats, nagging and teasing each other as only life long friends can. And on the other hand, they knew each other so well that they could read every little emotion and gesture. I would have liked to know more about their past and how they became friends in the first place. It was a pretty fast-paced book and I feel like there could have been enough room and time for that.
It was also quite an emotional book, especially at the end. After all, this is a story about loss and letting go. On another note, it book was surprisingly funny? The way the story was set up - a dead person coming back to life as a zombie (minus the hunger for brains) - guaranteed lots of hilarious moments. There is a reason why dead bodies are usually buried or burned. They rot and they stink and they should not be walking around your neighbourhood causing havoc and distress. But Shaun managed to add a funny tone to the morbid situation. It was perfect.
I generally do not understand how Shaun's books receive so little attention. He is an OwnVoices author who writes original stories with relatable characters and so much queer content. He is shockingly underrated and I hope that someday soon people will finally wake up and read his books.
Find more of my books on Instagram
I love this title more than the kids that I don't have. And I love this book just as much. It was different than Shaun's other books, but still a typical Hutchinson YA novel. Queer teens, weird and impossible situations as far as the eye can see, impeccable writing. And even though one of the most central themes is death, it's kind of uplifting and really not that depressing.
I really really really love Shaun David Hutchinson for his outspoken, loud and colourful novels. They're empowering. The LGBT+ representation is amazing, and they often discuss mental health and depression, which is why they tend to be rather dark. But they also talk about stigmatisation, about privilege, about homophobia and racism. They are fairly political, which also means that teens and adults alike will be entertained and learn about acceptance and tolerance at the same time.
I liked the friendship dynamic between Dino and July, ex-best friends who get one last chance to resolve their issues when July comes back to life after dying from a sudden aneurysm. On the one hand, they were constantly at each other's throats, nagging and teasing each other as only life long friends can. And on the other hand, they knew each other so well that they could read every little emotion and gesture. I would have liked to know more about their past and how they became friends in the first place. It was a pretty fast-paced book and I feel like there could have been enough room and time for that.
It was also quite an emotional book, especially at the end. After all, this is a story about loss and letting go. On another note, it book was surprisingly funny? The way the story was set up - a dead person coming back to life as a zombie (minus the hunger for brains) - guaranteed lots of hilarious moments. There is a reason why dead bodies are usually buried or burned. They rot and they stink and they should not be walking around your neighbourhood causing havoc and distress. But Shaun managed to add a funny tone to the morbid situation. It was perfect.
I generally do not understand how Shaun's books receive so little attention. He is an OwnVoices author who writes original stories with relatable characters and so much queer content. He is shockingly underrated and I hope that someday soon people will finally wake up and read his books.
Find more of my books on Instagram
April 10, 2019
3.5 stars.
Dino and July were best friends, absolutely inseparable. Until everything changed, and their friendship ended. For a year, July was dead to Dino, and he focused on his new boyfriend, Rafi, and Rafi's group of friends, although he couldn't help feeling like something was missing. When July died suddenly, Dino was left with unresolved emotions about their friendship and why everything went wrong.
And then the unthinkable happens—July awakens the day before her funeral while at Dino's parents' funeral home. She's not dead, but she's not quite alive, and she's not happy to find herself in Dino's company again. But what could be the reason for her coming back to life, of sorts? As much as they're angry with each other, they team up to figure out what's going on, especially as they realize this problem may have wider implications than they could even imagine.
As July struggles with the side-effects of once being dead, Dino has his own struggles—trying to convince his parents that he doesn't want to go into the funeral business, and feeling like he's not worthy of being loved, which complicates his relationship with with Rafi. More than that, however, he wants to understand why his relationship with July went so wrong, because he knows that as much as she aggravated him, he has missed her more than anything.
What if you got a second chance with someone who once meant so much to you? Would you try to understand what went wrong and resolve your feelings, or would the hurt and the anger be too intense to forgive and forget? Would you be willing to accept some responsibility for what transpired, or would your pride get in the way?
In his newest novel, The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried , Shaun David Hutchinson brings his trademark mix of the surreal and the emotional. While there are some crazy elements to the plot, at its heart this is a book about friendship, belonging, regret, self-worth, and accepting our own shortcomings. It definitely made me wish for another chance with some people who used to be an important part of my life.
Hutchinson is one of my favorite authors— We Are the Ants and At the Edge of the Universe are two of the best books I've read in recent years. I love the characters he creates and I find his storytelling mesmerizing.
That being said, this book didn't work as well for me as his previous ones. Even though there was poignancy in the story, I found July's character so off-putting and unsympathetic that I couldn't understand why Dino even wanted to be friends with her, and I felt that there were too many instances of her being mean to Dino, his getting angry, and then coming back to her again.
You can always count on Hutchinson for a story that doesn't seem like all the others, as well as one that touches your emotions. While I didn't feel this book was among his best, it's still another example of why I think he's one of the best YA authors out there right now.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yrralh/.
Dino and July were best friends, absolutely inseparable. Until everything changed, and their friendship ended. For a year, July was dead to Dino, and he focused on his new boyfriend, Rafi, and Rafi's group of friends, although he couldn't help feeling like something was missing. When July died suddenly, Dino was left with unresolved emotions about their friendship and why everything went wrong.
And then the unthinkable happens—July awakens the day before her funeral while at Dino's parents' funeral home. She's not dead, but she's not quite alive, and she's not happy to find herself in Dino's company again. But what could be the reason for her coming back to life, of sorts? As much as they're angry with each other, they team up to figure out what's going on, especially as they realize this problem may have wider implications than they could even imagine.
As July struggles with the side-effects of once being dead, Dino has his own struggles—trying to convince his parents that he doesn't want to go into the funeral business, and feeling like he's not worthy of being loved, which complicates his relationship with with Rafi. More than that, however, he wants to understand why his relationship with July went so wrong, because he knows that as much as she aggravated him, he has missed her more than anything.
What if you got a second chance with someone who once meant so much to you? Would you try to understand what went wrong and resolve your feelings, or would the hurt and the anger be too intense to forgive and forget? Would you be willing to accept some responsibility for what transpired, or would your pride get in the way?
In his newest novel, The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried , Shaun David Hutchinson brings his trademark mix of the surreal and the emotional. While there are some crazy elements to the plot, at its heart this is a book about friendship, belonging, regret, self-worth, and accepting our own shortcomings. It definitely made me wish for another chance with some people who used to be an important part of my life.
Hutchinson is one of my favorite authors— We Are the Ants and At the Edge of the Universe are two of the best books I've read in recent years. I love the characters he creates and I find his storytelling mesmerizing.
That being said, this book didn't work as well for me as his previous ones. Even though there was poignancy in the story, I found July's character so off-putting and unsympathetic that I couldn't understand why Dino even wanted to be friends with her, and I felt that there were too many instances of her being mean to Dino, his getting angry, and then coming back to her again.
You can always count on Hutchinson for a story that doesn't seem like all the others, as well as one that touches your emotions. While I didn't feel this book was among his best, it's still another example of why I think he's one of the best YA authors out there right now.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yrralh/.
August 30, 2018
4.5/5
I may be a *bit* biased considering Shaun is my favorite author/I'm definitely his #1 fan at this point, but I still would have loved this without those pre existing factors.
Dino is used to being around the dead. His parents run a funeral home, so its a daily occurrence of his life at this point. But what he's not used to, is them coming back to life. When Dino's ex-best friend, July comes back to life after a sudden death, the two must confront what happened to their friendship, and why it ended so badly.
Since we all know how terrible I'm at formatting reviews, let's just address a few bullet points:
• Writing: Shaun's writing is lyrical and attention grabbing as usual, not a surprise to me since I've read most of his work.
• Characters: The characters are exceptionally real and jump off the page. Shaun doesn't try to sugarcoat things, either. July is one of the most problematic characters I've ever seen, but Dino corrects her every time, which isn't something you see a lot.
As you may have noticed, I'm rating this a 4.5 instead of a full 5. That's because this book seemed to be spending more time on why July is back to life, instead of the characters themselves. Characters are my favorite part of Shaun's books, so this was definitely noticeable to me.
I may be a *bit* biased considering Shaun is my favorite author/I'm definitely his #1 fan at this point, but I still would have loved this without those pre existing factors.
Dino is used to being around the dead. His parents run a funeral home, so its a daily occurrence of his life at this point. But what he's not used to, is them coming back to life. When Dino's ex-best friend, July comes back to life after a sudden death, the two must confront what happened to their friendship, and why it ended so badly.
Since we all know how terrible I'm at formatting reviews, let's just address a few bullet points:
• Writing: Shaun's writing is lyrical and attention grabbing as usual, not a surprise to me since I've read most of his work.
• Characters: The characters are exceptionally real and jump off the page. Shaun doesn't try to sugarcoat things, either. July is one of the most problematic characters I've ever seen, but Dino corrects her every time, which isn't something you see a lot.
As you may have noticed, I'm rating this a 4.5 instead of a full 5. That's because this book seemed to be spending more time on why July is back to life, instead of the characters themselves. Characters are my favorite part of Shaun's books, so this was definitely noticeable to me.
Want to read
March 3, 2019I relate to this tittle to a spiritual level
June 24, 2019
i've found that contemporaries really HIT you or they don't. this audiobook on 3x speed is only 2 hours and i am B O R E D
June 6, 2019
“The president tried to take credit for it, calling it “the greatest miracle in the history of miracles. There’s never been a bigger miracle than this one,” but everyone knows by now that he’s full of shit.”
So if you don't know, Shaun David Hutchinson is one of my favourite authors of all time and I have read everything he's written! I was so excited to dive into this, which released in Feb but I didn't have time to get to yet. I ended up having so much fun reading this! I didn't like it as much as We Are the Ants (my ultimate fave) but it probably sits alongside At The Edge of the Universe as my second fave Hutchinson book!
This book is about .. lots of things. It follows Dino, who's ex-best friend June has recently died. While preparing her body for burial (Dino's family own a mortuary), June suddenly rises from the dead and the two are suddenly forced to confront the truths behind their ruined friendship.
Like most Hutchinson books, this had such a whacky premise and I LOVED it. The book focusses a lot on how people remember and think about people who have died in their head after they've died, and how that's not necessarily how they were in life, and I think the zombie-esque plot of this book was such a funny and interesting way to explore that.
This was also hilarious! And super gross! June is undead but she isn't alive .. and so there's a lot of err, gross body stuff. Like June decaying from the inside, and having no organs, and her skin ripping off. And it's so gross but also kind of funny. And I guess a realistic way to look at what would happen if your week dead friend suddenly rose from the grave.
A good friend will bury your body, a best friend will dig you back up.
As this book opens, we start to learn more about Dino, June and why they're no longer friends. This includes some things to do with Dino's new boyfriend, Rafi. (Who is A LITERAL ANGEL I WOULD DIE FOR !!!! and also trans !!).
One thing I really liked about this was the focus on friendship. This focusses on friendship in a way none of Hutchinson's other books have and I really liked it. Dino and June definitely have a complicated relationship and there is a lot of animosity and unresolved feelings to work through. But I really related to a lot of aspects of their relationship - including the jealousy over your friends getting new partners (and leaving you behind), and also the question of what to do with a friend who suddenly doesn't seem so friendly when you come out to them. This book spent a lot of time exploring what the cost is of keeping people around who don't bring out the best in you and I think it did so in a really clever and fun way. Hutchinson is really great with people and relationships in his writing and it shone here.
Dino and June are both really complicated characters and honestly - I kinda didn't like either of them. But I also don't think I needed to. Ultimately, they are both really just lost teens still finding themselves and this book is about how thats normal! and okay! and we get less shitty as we get surer of ourselves !!
I do think though this could have been longer because we could have had more to explore their relationship. A lot of the end felt rushed to me, and like big decisions were made in one discussion. That said, I still really liked the end of this and thought it had more closure than some of his other works.
I also loved the general discussions and themes in this book. I cannot cover them all but: family dynamics were great as always. Discussions around queer relationships were GREAT as always. The inclusion of a lot of queer community in this was nice and I loved Rafi's entire crew.
"Love is gradual and sneaky. It grows like weeds between the cracks of a hundred average moments."
But the reason's I didn't rate this higher: I also thought the middle of this was kind of boring and dragged a little bit. I also thought some of it was a little repetitive where it wasn't needed, and then too brief where we could have had more. I also would have really liked more at the end to give more closure to the story!
Despite that, this is a whacky book that has a lot of hidden meaning and thoughtfulness between all the weird. Shaun David Hutchinson is so underrated! I will continue to love and support him because I think he is writing some of the most unique, authentic and engaging YA in the market right now, with so many relevant and important discussions about being gay and the queer community, amongst other things. If you're looking for a zombie book with more depth than pure zombies, or a book that focusses on the intricacies of friendship, or a book that deals with grief in a unique way, I definitely recommend.
Want to read
February 19, 2018i know it won't but i hope the synopsis stays "It's about best friends and maybe zombies. There's also lots of queer stuff." because that's Gold™
May 9, 2019
4 Stars
This played out in my head like an awesome coming-of-age teen movie from the 80s or 90s, which, if you know me, is like the highest praise because I fricken love that kind of shit!
Teenagers July and Dino used to be best friends, until they weren’t. Now, almost a year later, it’s too late to mend fences because poor July is dead. Or is she?
Waking up on a table in Dino’s family’s back yard mortuary, July is pretty adamant that she is still alive. But the clear signs of an already-performed autopsy, paired with the fact she smells kind of rank and looks kind of, well, dead, are proof enough that maybe July truly is deceased...mostly.
Thrown into this bizarre and morbid situation, July and Dino only have each other to turn to as they logic it out and attempt to solve this whole “not-dead” thing together.
As the situation spirals out of control, potentially affecting the larger population, the two begin to hash it out, contemplating how the failing of their friendship may be playing a huge role in July’s current zombie-not-a-zombie predicament.
This was such a cool premise and I was completely engaged in the story from start to finish. It wasn’t too deep in the technical stuff either, focusing more on the interpersonal relationship between July and Dino over the whole “how on Earth is she back alive?” thing. I liked that. Especially because these two had a really fascinating, sometimes explosive, yet relatable dynamic. Honestly, the whole book could have just been July and Dino sitting in a room having a conversation/argument and I would have been entertained.
The main focus here is the platonic friendship between July and Dino, but there is a nice little side story revolving around Dino and his relationship with his boyfriend Rafi, hence the LGBT tags. As long as you don’t go into this looking for a big romance then you should be just fine (and satisfied at that).
This was my very first time reading a story by author Shaun David Hutchinson and I can guarantee it won’t be my last!
This played out in my head like an awesome coming-of-age teen movie from the 80s or 90s, which, if you know me, is like the highest praise because I fricken love that kind of shit!
Teenagers July and Dino used to be best friends, until they weren’t. Now, almost a year later, it’s too late to mend fences because poor July is dead. Or is she?
Waking up on a table in Dino’s family’s back yard mortuary, July is pretty adamant that she is still alive. But the clear signs of an already-performed autopsy, paired with the fact she smells kind of rank and looks kind of, well, dead, are proof enough that maybe July truly is deceased...mostly.
Thrown into this bizarre and morbid situation, July and Dino only have each other to turn to as they logic it out and attempt to solve this whole “not-dead” thing together.
As the situation spirals out of control, potentially affecting the larger population, the two begin to hash it out, contemplating how the failing of their friendship may be playing a huge role in July’s current zombie-not-a-zombie predicament.
This was such a cool premise and I was completely engaged in the story from start to finish. It wasn’t too deep in the technical stuff either, focusing more on the interpersonal relationship between July and Dino over the whole “how on Earth is she back alive?” thing. I liked that. Especially because these two had a really fascinating, sometimes explosive, yet relatable dynamic. Honestly, the whole book could have just been July and Dino sitting in a room having a conversation/argument and I would have been entertained.
The main focus here is the platonic friendship between July and Dino, but there is a nice little side story revolving around Dino and his relationship with his boyfriend Rafi, hence the LGBT tags. As long as you don’t go into this looking for a big romance then you should be just fine (and satisfied at that).
This was my very first time reading a story by author Shaun David Hutchinson and I can guarantee it won’t be my last!
February 13, 2019
'Basically the M&Ms of school acquaintances; neither particularly exciting nor objectionable.'
This quote on page 92 perfectly sums up my reading experience.
Other than We Are the Ants, which left me uncontrollably sobbing for two days straight, I haven't really read any other of Shaun David Hutchinson's work. I read, like, four pages of the Andrew Brawley one back in Middle School and for some reason never picked it back up again.
That being said, I somehow had no doubt in my mind that I'd come to love all of SDH's books. My experience with We Are the Ants was just. that. impactful.
Unfortunately, this book fell a little bit flat for me. The Past and Other Things That Should Stay buried revolves around July and Dino's friendship: it's many facets, it's ending, and it's literal resurrection.
I'm always onboard to read novels around friendships that remain friendships (glaring at you, Gena/Finn), so imagine my delightful surprise when I begin to suspect that SDH may go further and tackle one of the toughest decisions in any person's life: letting go of toxic friends.
I'm was on board, in fact, I'm pretty sure I was sailing that ship.
Everything was set up perfectly for the execution of this theme; particularly the character developed and the concept of decay. July was eerily similar to so many 'friends' I had while growing up. Fun, but self-centered, insensitive, kinda inconsiderate, and above all - entitled, because they believe your history together allows them to act the way they do.
And it doesn't.
But we find ourselves allowing it because we've spent so long getting in the habitual routine of enabling them in order to avoid confrontation.
For about 75% of this book, I thought SDH was finally gunna do it - terminate a 'friendship' after some much-needed closure on Dino's end. Literally put it to rest with July's final death scene, which is dark, but, like, I live for that shit.
*Sigh*
And then SDH ends up creating this somewhat anti-climatic rekindling scene where Dino admits that he was sort of a bad friend too, which is caca because all he did was finally get fed-up and hang out with a different friend group. A friend group he barely invited July to come and hang out with since he knows July would end up insulting them somehow, which she does. Multiple times.
Shes the type of person that thinks because her friend is gay, that she has the right to call his trans boyfriend a 'girlfriend' jokingly or make generalistic stereotypes of people based on their sexual orientation. She also makes fun of skinny people -including Dino- even while knowing how uncomfortable he is with his body.
She's a bitch. But I'm supposed to forgive her because she's 'not-dead soon to be dead-dead', has done one or two good things, had a bad sexual experience, and cuz her character demands it? HeEEeeeeLLLLlllLLL No.
ugh.
I also think SDH's focus on explaining the not-dying phenomenon distracted me from the narrative at times. These were moments when (and I shit you not this is my best attempt at explaining it) it felt like he was channeling his inner John Green??? lol. You know what I'm talking about. It felt like SDH wanted to convey a message about death and the nature of dying and it just didn't quite work out for him.
I would have preferred it if the focus remained primarily on the friendship (and it's ending both due to the death and because it was Dino's personal choice).
Overall, I think this book had potential to break the mold. It wasn't a bad book per se, it was actually quite easy to read and entertaining enough to have me invested in the ending; I just think it fell a bit flat.
Still think SDH is adorkable tho! And I def plan on reading more of his books.
Also, this was basically July at Dino 24/7:
July 11, 2019
4 stars
This story seems to hit people dramatically, and for me it was a dramatic YES with a side of frustration.
Concept: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★
Morbid humor: ★★★★
Relationships: ★★★ 1/2
Did it preach themes at me: Yeah
The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried is the kind of novel that will appeal to those who don't mind being reminded that we all rot eventually. If you're bothered by that sentence, this is definitely not the review—or the novel—for you.
Dino and July were the best of friends. And then they weren't. And then July died. And Dino never got to say goodbye, or reconcile, or even really examine the "why."
Dino finds himself trying to say goodbye to his ex-best friend on the gurney slab—his parents run the funeral home in town—the night before her funeral. July wakes up. She's still dead, her body is irrevocably dying, and yet...she's conscious. Dino and July must now find out what went wrong with July, what went wrong with their friendship, and how they can both move forward and get life (and death) back to rights before July's re-awakening messes with the world's natural order of things.
I found The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried to be laugh-out-loud funny, poignant when it needed to be—and, occasionally, attempting to force its poignancy when it didn't need to be—morbid, and overwhelmingly filled with a gritty wholesomeness that I definitely enjoyed.
I loved how the dynamic between Dino and July stayed platonic. When I picked this novel up, I had the sneaking feeling it was going to be unresolved Feelings, and was pleasantly surprised to discover a) Dino's sexual orientation and b) that his dynamic with July was purely sibling-level friendly.
This would have been so much more gritty and enjoyable if it had taken place in the span of one night. The pacing felt bizarre to have multiple days spanning July's undead/not-dead journey. Around half of the novel was one drawn-out night, and then several days seemed to happen at breakneck speed as the story arc drew to a close. It felt like a wasted opportunity for true fisticuffs, isolated closure.
I wanted a smack-down between two ex-best friends and an existential night that suspends your human sense of belief. What I got was a semi-drawn out, occasionally on-the-nose preachy series of evenings that I ultimately still loved, but retained my frustration.
Recommended for those who enjoy medically-themed media (House, M.D. fans will love both the humor and the graphic asides), digging up the past, and reliving what it means to be a teenager with intense feelings for seemingly-intense moments—and what it means when you realize that yeah, maybe you let your hormones rule you sometimes where you shouldn't.
*****
Original notes: This was such a strange, morbid, wonderful, memorable, interesting, and wacky type of book. It made me actually laugh—out loud. Review to come!
This story seems to hit people dramatically, and for me it was a dramatic YES with a side of frustration.
Concept: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★
Morbid humor: ★★★★
Relationships: ★★★ 1/2
Did it preach themes at me: Yeah
The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried is the kind of novel that will appeal to those who don't mind being reminded that we all rot eventually. If you're bothered by that sentence, this is definitely not the review—or the novel—for you.
Dino and July were the best of friends. And then they weren't. And then July died. And Dino never got to say goodbye, or reconcile, or even really examine the "why."
Dino finds himself trying to say goodbye to his ex-best friend on the gurney slab—his parents run the funeral home in town—the night before her funeral. July wakes up. She's still dead, her body is irrevocably dying, and yet...she's conscious. Dino and July must now find out what went wrong with July, what went wrong with their friendship, and how they can both move forward and get life (and death) back to rights before July's re-awakening messes with the world's natural order of things.
I found The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried to be laugh-out-loud funny, poignant when it needed to be—and, occasionally, attempting to force its poignancy when it didn't need to be—morbid, and overwhelmingly filled with a gritty wholesomeness that I definitely enjoyed.
I loved how the dynamic between Dino and July stayed platonic. When I picked this novel up, I had the sneaking feeling it was going to be unresolved Feelings, and was pleasantly surprised to discover a) Dino's sexual orientation and b) that his dynamic with July was purely sibling-level friendly.
This would have been so much more gritty and enjoyable if it had taken place in the span of one night. The pacing felt bizarre to have multiple days spanning July's undead/not-dead journey. Around half of the novel was one drawn-out night, and then several days seemed to happen at breakneck speed as the story arc drew to a close. It felt like a wasted opportunity for true fisticuffs, isolated closure.
I wanted a smack-down between two ex-best friends and an existential night that suspends your human sense of belief. What I got was a semi-drawn out, occasionally on-the-nose preachy series of evenings that I ultimately still loved, but retained my frustration.
Recommended for those who enjoy medically-themed media (House, M.D. fans will love both the humor and the graphic asides), digging up the past, and reliving what it means to be a teenager with intense feelings for seemingly-intense moments—and what it means when you realize that yeah, maybe you let your hormones rule you sometimes where you shouldn't.
*****
Original notes: This was such a strange, morbid, wonderful, memorable, interesting, and wacky type of book. It made me actually laugh—out loud. Review to come!
February 21, 2020
Do you like to read books about messy friendships featuring major character undeath and a lot of grave-digging? The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried is what you're looking for - and yes, it's exactly as weird as it sounds.
This is a story about two teens who have very different personalities, which both complement each other and clash a lot. It's a story about complex situations and teens trying to cope with them, even as they really don't know what they're doing.
💀 Dino DeLuca is a seventeen-year-old gay teenager whose parents own a funeral home. He has a boyfriend, Rafi (who is trans and biracial Pakistani), but Dino feels like he's not good enough for Rafi. He also struggles with the fact that he's changing, that he doesn't know who he wants to be - but he knows that the person he wants to be is not who his parents want. He's confused, doesn't know how to deal with that, and that's what leads him to mess up.
💀 July Cooper is a straight teenage girl who just died. Or so everyone thought. Her story isn't over yet, and if someone was ever going to able to temporarily stop death worldwide, that person was definitely July - while Dino is indecisive, she isn't at all, and this may be both her biggest strength (she goes for what she wants!) and flaw (...sometimes, thinking through things before doing them helps).
This is a story about a friendship that fell apart, which means that sometimes Dino and July are hurting each other, and it's of course a very messy and... foul-smelling situation. I wanted to shake both of them at times, but it was worth it. I loved this book's message, the way it talked about tragedy without ever losing its sense of humor, the way it made political jokes sometimes and also talked about what actually makes a joke funny (because no, it's never just a joke, especially if you're talking about marginalized groups).
Another thing I really liked was that I could picture the setting, which isn't always the case in American contemporary-set books. I already expected this because I didn't have the usual "I have no idea how this place looks like" problem while reading the The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza either. I wouldn't exactly describe this book as atmospheric, but I had just enough details.
What didn't work for me were small things - this is a really short book, but some of the dialogues felt repetitive anyway. This could be a deliberate choice, because it did feel realistic, but I still felt like I was reading the same conversation over and over at times, which made me momentarily lose interest. Also, for some reason my suspension of disbelief struggled far more with whole funeral-home-family-business than with the undeath part, and I don't think that should have happened.
This is a story about two teens who have very different personalities, which both complement each other and clash a lot. It's a story about complex situations and teens trying to cope with them, even as they really don't know what they're doing.
💀 Dino DeLuca is a seventeen-year-old gay teenager whose parents own a funeral home. He has a boyfriend, Rafi (who is trans and biracial Pakistani), but Dino feels like he's not good enough for Rafi. He also struggles with the fact that he's changing, that he doesn't know who he wants to be - but he knows that the person he wants to be is not who his parents want. He's confused, doesn't know how to deal with that, and that's what leads him to mess up.
💀 July Cooper is a straight teenage girl who just died. Or so everyone thought. Her story isn't over yet, and if someone was ever going to able to temporarily stop death worldwide, that person was definitely July - while Dino is indecisive, she isn't at all, and this may be both her biggest strength (she goes for what she wants!) and flaw (...sometimes, thinking through things before doing them helps).
This is a story about a friendship that fell apart, which means that sometimes Dino and July are hurting each other, and it's of course a very messy and... foul-smelling situation. I wanted to shake both of them at times, but it was worth it. I loved this book's message, the way it talked about tragedy without ever losing its sense of humor, the way it made political jokes sometimes and also talked about what actually makes a joke funny (because no, it's never just a joke, especially if you're talking about marginalized groups).
Another thing I really liked was that I could picture the setting, which isn't always the case in American contemporary-set books. I already expected this because I didn't have the usual "I have no idea how this place looks like" problem while reading the The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza either. I wouldn't exactly describe this book as atmospheric, but I had just enough details.
What didn't work for me were small things - this is a really short book, but some of the dialogues felt repetitive anyway. This could be a deliberate choice, because it did feel realistic, but I still felt like I was reading the same conversation over and over at times, which made me momentarily lose interest. Also, for some reason my suspension of disbelief struggled far more with whole funeral-home-family-business than with the undeath part, and I don't think that should have happened.
March 25, 2020
I feel like there was a trend a good few years ago with drinks on their covers. While, I never read any of them I always associated their covers with light contemporaries. So when I picked up The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried, I assumed it would be like that, with zombiness sprinkled in.
What I got was so much more, and so much better.
The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried, folloes Dino and his ex-best friend, July after she rises from the dead. We get to see the two come to terms with what caused their friendship to break down. Add in family dynamics, boyfriend troubles, and a world where people seam to stop being able to die and you get this book.
Hutchinson does a great job exploring complex themes of death, change and love.
Also, this book is super diverse. With Dino being gay and his boyfriend, Rafi being a gay trans man.
PS: A couple books previous to this, I read From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death. One of the burial rites Caitlin discusses in that book, Dino talks about in The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried. I know its just a little thing, probably irrelevant to most people, but I found it so cool.
What I got was so much more, and so much better.
The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried, folloes Dino and his ex-best friend, July after she rises from the dead. We get to see the two come to terms with what caused their friendship to break down. Add in family dynamics, boyfriend troubles, and a world where people seam to stop being able to die and you get this book.
Hutchinson does a great job exploring complex themes of death, change and love.
Also, this book is super diverse. With Dino being gay and his boyfriend, Rafi being a gay trans man.
PS: A couple books previous to this, I read From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death. One of the burial rites Caitlin discusses in that book, Dino talks about in The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried. I know its just a little thing, probably irrelevant to most people, but I found it so cool.
March 12, 2019
Ugh. Shaun David Hutchinson knows how to make me laugh and cry and be entertained.
His stories are always so unique, with this weird tiny scifi element that you really would never expect. And it's always kinda comical, but it's always full of heartfelt moments that shake my heart.
This one is no exception.
The subject spoke to me in a personal level and yet I only cried like... 5 times. Definitely feels like a more upbeat fun book. As SDH said on Twitter, it's about time we read and write about queer characters that doesn't automatically deal with depression or the end of the world.
His stories are always so unique, with this weird tiny scifi element that you really would never expect. And it's always kinda comical, but it's always full of heartfelt moments that shake my heart.
This one is no exception.
The subject spoke to me in a personal level and yet I only cried like... 5 times. Definitely feels like a more upbeat fun book. As SDH said on Twitter, it's about time we read and write about queer characters that doesn't automatically deal with depression or the end of the world.
August 13, 2019
I really enjoyed this! I loved the relationship between Dino and Ravi and Dino's journey from feeling inadequate to allowing himself to realise (with some help from July) he was worthy of Ravi was wonderful. I thought all the characters were complex and a lot of issues were discussed in a really great way. There is some great rep and it was really lovely to see a Trans love interest!
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: July is incredibly unlikeable. Did that affect my enjoyment of the book? No, no it did not and here’s why. We are dipping into these two characters lives at an incredibly difficult time and I’m not talking about one of them being dead! These two had been best friends for so long, they were in this little bubble where it was just the two of them. They became dependant on each other and because they loved each other regardless of flaws, those flaws went unchecked. Homophobic ‘jokes’ went unchecked, things were left unsaid for an easy life, they both became the worst versions of themselves but it was ok because they had each other. Ravi showed Dino that there was more to him, that he could be a better person and he didn’t know how to fit both versions of himself into his relationship with July. There is a year of bad feeling and misunderstandings all culminating into this hostile, angry vibe that we are plunged into the middle of. We have to remember that when July died, the love between them was buried under a mountain of hate and they weren’t going to just forget everything because July died and came back.
We go on this journey with them where they pick apart the worst bits about each other and their friendship. We uncover insecurities,we tackle bad behaviour and we come to see why they were so close to begin with. By the time they’re been on this journey, when they’ve come to realise the truth of what happened between them and what they still mean to each other, July has given Dino confidence to stand up for himself, to strike out his own path, to be honest about how he feels and be all of who he is. Dine has given July the chance to make amends, to bury everything that went wrong between them, he gives her a way to say goodbye to her family and to finally be at peace.
I know a lot of people say this isn’t Shaun David Hutchinson’s best, but let me tell you something: coming into this book with no base marker, as someone who has been wanting to read his work for ages, I was blown away. Hutchinson has a wonderful writing style and he has given us a unique, interesting look at the beauty and stresses of teen friendships, first loves and life and death in general At its heart this is a beautiful, wonderful story and if the rest of his work is even better than this, I’m in for a treat!
***************
I really enjoyed this! RTC!
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: July is incredibly unlikeable. Did that affect my enjoyment of the book? No, no it did not and here’s why. We are dipping into these two characters lives at an incredibly difficult time and I’m not talking about one of them being dead! These two had been best friends for so long, they were in this little bubble where it was just the two of them. They became dependant on each other and because they loved each other regardless of flaws, those flaws went unchecked. Homophobic ‘jokes’ went unchecked, things were left unsaid for an easy life, they both became the worst versions of themselves but it was ok because they had each other. Ravi showed Dino that there was more to him, that he could be a better person and he didn’t know how to fit both versions of himself into his relationship with July. There is a year of bad feeling and misunderstandings all culminating into this hostile, angry vibe that we are plunged into the middle of. We have to remember that when July died, the love between them was buried under a mountain of hate and they weren’t going to just forget everything because July died and came back.
We go on this journey with them where they pick apart the worst bits about each other and their friendship. We uncover insecurities,we tackle bad behaviour and we come to see why they were so close to begin with. By the time they’re been on this journey, when they’ve come to realise the truth of what happened between them and what they still mean to each other, July has given Dino confidence to stand up for himself, to strike out his own path, to be honest about how he feels and be all of who he is. Dine has given July the chance to make amends, to bury everything that went wrong between them, he gives her a way to say goodbye to her family and to finally be at peace.
I know a lot of people say this isn’t Shaun David Hutchinson’s best, but let me tell you something: coming into this book with no base marker, as someone who has been wanting to read his work for ages, I was blown away. Hutchinson has a wonderful writing style and he has given us a unique, interesting look at the beauty and stresses of teen friendships, first loves and life and death in general At its heart this is a beautiful, wonderful story and if the rest of his work is even better than this, I’m in for a treat!
***************
I really enjoyed this! RTC!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2019
Full review: https://bookpeopleteens.wordpress.com...
This is one of my favorite books of 2019, and we’ll see how the year progresses, but it might be favorite of the year already. A morbid study of a friendship stuffed with bright characters, contained within an awesome cover, written by the author most adept at making me cry while also have an existential crisis, The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried is awesomely weird and, if anything, weirdly awesome. Rating: five Slurpees/five
For fans of: Pushing Daisies, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Books That Would Make Fantastic Movies
Favorite quotes:
- “Death is as normal and digestion. People move through life the way food moves through our bodies. Their natural usefulness is extracted along the way to help enrich the world, and when they have nothing left to give, they’re eliminated. Much like our bodies would clog up with excrement if we didn’t defecate, the world would do the same if we didn’t die."
- “The boxes that are supposed to help us understand one another ultimately wedge us further apart. Even worse is that we rage against the artificial divisions the boxes create, claim that we’re more complex and complicated than how we’re defined by others, and then turn around and stuff the next person we meet into one and tape the lid shut. And then, as if the indignity of life isn’t enough when a person dies, we cram what’s left of them into one final box for eternity.”
This is one of my favorite books of 2019, and we’ll see how the year progresses, but it might be favorite of the year already. A morbid study of a friendship stuffed with bright characters, contained within an awesome cover, written by the author most adept at making me cry while also have an existential crisis, The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried is awesomely weird and, if anything, weirdly awesome. Rating: five Slurpees/five
For fans of: Pushing Daisies, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Books That Would Make Fantastic Movies
Favorite quotes:
- “Death is as normal and digestion. People move through life the way food moves through our bodies. Their natural usefulness is extracted along the way to help enrich the world, and when they have nothing left to give, they’re eliminated. Much like our bodies would clog up with excrement if we didn’t defecate, the world would do the same if we didn’t die."
- “The boxes that are supposed to help us understand one another ultimately wedge us further apart. Even worse is that we rage against the artificial divisions the boxes create, claim that we’re more complex and complicated than how we’re defined by others, and then turn around and stuff the next person we meet into one and tape the lid shut. And then, as if the indignity of life isn’t enough when a person dies, we cram what’s left of them into one final box for eternity.”
March 3, 2019
Actual rating: 4.5 Stars!
I will always be the first in line for a new Shaun David Hutchinson novel. However, I was a little late in getting to this one, I will admit. But of course, I absolutely loved it!
Stay tuned for a full review coming soon!
April 14, 2020
“Grief is quiet. Grief is a strangled cry. Tears we hide. A scream in a vacuum where sound doesn’t carry. And though we try to share it, grief is ultimately a burden each of us must carry alone.”
...
After absolutely adoring Shaun David Hutchinson's We Are the Ants, I've been on the hunt for more of his books, and The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried particularly called out to me.
Dino's parents own a funeral home, and expect him to take on the family business one day. Problem is, even though Dino is really good at the family trade, he's set on pursuing his own path. At the beginning of the story, Dino's ex-best friend July dies rather suddenly - and he's even more surprised when she comes back to life.
And...she's not exactly alive, or dead. Because she's still decaying.
As Dino and July attempt to figure out why July has suddenly risen from the grave, it becomes clear that other things are rising up from their past. Together, they must confront the painful disintegration of their friendship, the hidden truths of themselves, and their uncertain futures.
I've noticed that Hutchinson's books all have rather strange premises, but are rooted deeply in human stories surrounding flawed, relatable characters. In We Are the Ants Henry is consistently abducted by aliens and informed of the end of the world. In this book, Dino is confronted by his former best-friend freshly risen from the grave. I love how weird his books are. His out there, quirky stories perfectly reflect intensely human experiences, and I really resonated with the themes of this book in particular.
That's partly due to Hutchinson's expert characterization. I really liked Dino, who's family was morbidly strange in all the best ways. Death is a constant companion to Dino, and the passing of his ex-best friend surfaces complex feelings within him. This book isn't just about grief, and all of the excruciating emotions that come with it; it's about mourning the loss of a dead friendship.
Everyone's experienced the complicated break up of a friendship at least once in their life. Realizing that you've grown apart from a person, or coming to terms with a toxic friend who doesn't bring out the best in you is difficult, and Dino and July have a lot of animosity and unresolved feelings to confront. There's jealousy, heartbreak, miscommunication, and anger. It's horrible to realize that maybe you're not getting as much from your friend as you're giving them. It hurts to feel left behind by someone that you rely on.
All of this is explored in The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried, and July and Dino's complicated, battered friendship illustrates just how flawed they both are.
Ever since Dino and July called it quits on their friendship, Dino started dating Rafi, a trans boy who is precious and DESERVES THE WORLD. Coming to terms with his sexuality and falling for Rafi brought Dino into the arms of a new, very queer friend group, leaving July behind and floundering. I enjoyed the amount of diversity and awareness interwoven into the narrative, and even though I really didn't like July at first - she makes a few homophobic, insensitive comments about Dino and is generally very selfish at the beginning - I came to really appreciate her character development, and how much she learned throughout this story (and don't worry, she's called out on her bullshit every time). While Dino is a much more relatable character, he also has issues he has to work through as well.
Despite the grim premise, this book is genuinely funny. The gallows humor is on point, and at one part of the book I was cackling and on the verge of tears. Hutchinson knows how to write wit, and I really enjoyed Dino and July's back and forth.
Also, I liked the gross realities of July's resurrection. She's not dead, but her body is still decaying at a normal rate. She doesn't have any organs, her skin is peeling off, and her corpse is going through gross natural processes that made for some hilarious situations. Again, I'm a sucker for stories that incorporate death or the undead, and dark humor is my shit. If I had one complaint about this book, I'd say that I wished the pacing was more even. Some situations July and Dino got into seemed a little repetitive, and the middle chunk of this story was kind of slow.
I really did love this book, though. By the end I was choked up, and had a tight, fleeting pain in my chest that could only be labeled as bittersweet longing. It was cathartic, and healing.
Hutchinson didn't disappoint. I'll definitely be combing through the rest of his stuff!
...
“A good friend will bury your body, a best friend will dig you back up.”
...
After absolutely adoring Shaun David Hutchinson's We Are the Ants, I've been on the hunt for more of his books, and The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried particularly called out to me.
Dino's parents own a funeral home, and expect him to take on the family business one day. Problem is, even though Dino is really good at the family trade, he's set on pursuing his own path. At the beginning of the story, Dino's ex-best friend July dies rather suddenly - and he's even more surprised when she comes back to life.
And...she's not exactly alive, or dead. Because she's still decaying.
As Dino and July attempt to figure out why July has suddenly risen from the grave, it becomes clear that other things are rising up from their past. Together, they must confront the painful disintegration of their friendship, the hidden truths of themselves, and their uncertain futures.
I've noticed that Hutchinson's books all have rather strange premises, but are rooted deeply in human stories surrounding flawed, relatable characters. In We Are the Ants Henry is consistently abducted by aliens and informed of the end of the world. In this book, Dino is confronted by his former best-friend freshly risen from the grave. I love how weird his books are. His out there, quirky stories perfectly reflect intensely human experiences, and I really resonated with the themes of this book in particular.
That's partly due to Hutchinson's expert characterization. I really liked Dino, who's family was morbidly strange in all the best ways. Death is a constant companion to Dino, and the passing of his ex-best friend surfaces complex feelings within him. This book isn't just about grief, and all of the excruciating emotions that come with it; it's about mourning the loss of a dead friendship.
Everyone's experienced the complicated break up of a friendship at least once in their life. Realizing that you've grown apart from a person, or coming to terms with a toxic friend who doesn't bring out the best in you is difficult, and Dino and July have a lot of animosity and unresolved feelings to confront. There's jealousy, heartbreak, miscommunication, and anger. It's horrible to realize that maybe you're not getting as much from your friend as you're giving them. It hurts to feel left behind by someone that you rely on.
All of this is explored in The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried, and July and Dino's complicated, battered friendship illustrates just how flawed they both are.
Ever since Dino and July called it quits on their friendship, Dino started dating Rafi, a trans boy who is precious and DESERVES THE WORLD. Coming to terms with his sexuality and falling for Rafi brought Dino into the arms of a new, very queer friend group, leaving July behind and floundering. I enjoyed the amount of diversity and awareness interwoven into the narrative, and even though I really didn't like July at first - she makes a few homophobic, insensitive comments about Dino and is generally very selfish at the beginning - I came to really appreciate her character development, and how much she learned throughout this story (and don't worry, she's called out on her bullshit every time). While Dino is a much more relatable character, he also has issues he has to work through as well.
Despite the grim premise, this book is genuinely funny. The gallows humor is on point, and at one part of the book I was cackling and on the verge of tears. Hutchinson knows how to write wit, and I really enjoyed Dino and July's back and forth.
Also, I liked the gross realities of July's resurrection. She's not dead, but her body is still decaying at a normal rate. She doesn't have any organs, her skin is peeling off, and her corpse is going through gross natural processes that made for some hilarious situations. Again, I'm a sucker for stories that incorporate death or the undead, and dark humor is my shit. If I had one complaint about this book, I'd say that I wished the pacing was more even. Some situations July and Dino got into seemed a little repetitive, and the middle chunk of this story was kind of slow.
I really did love this book, though. By the end I was choked up, and had a tight, fleeting pain in my chest that could only be labeled as bittersweet longing. It was cathartic, and healing.
Hutchinson didn't disappoint. I'll definitely be combing through the rest of his stuff!
...
“A good friend will bury your body, a best friend will dig you back up.”
Want to read
May 23, 2020I'm simple, I saw Shaun David I clicked & I want.
March 4, 2019
This was pretty weird but very enjoyable
July 4, 2021
DNF'ed at 70%
I don't give up on books often. I especially didn't expect to give up on a book with such an awesome sounding premise. Seriously, a boy discovering that his ex best friend has come back from the dead? That sounds straight up my alley.
Sadly, this didn't live up to my (admittedly not very high) expectations.
The problems with this book start with the story. Despite having a very interesting premise, the first half of this book goes by and not a lot happens. They are not curious enough about how July's, the not-dead person's, status came to be. A supernatural phenomenon is taking place and the characters choose to just drive around, hang out, go to a party. Even at 70% things don't pick up pace. It ended up getting quite boring, especially since I didn't end up caring much about the characters.
Even though I never ended up caring for the characters, I have to give this book props for having pretty realistic ones. July's an asshole, but reasonably so. Dino and his friends are realistically cringey (though I'm not sure that was intended). Other than the fact that they make some very dated references, they sound like real teens to me. Though, would a 17-year-old today really make a joke about Janet Jackson at the Superbowl? The character would have been 4 years old at the time of the incident, mind you.
One more major complaint I have about this book has to do with the writing. It wasn't horrible, but it felt amateur. At times, it got very expository for no real reason. It's like the author forgot about the golden rule of 'show, don't tell'.
Not only was that an ultimately unnecessary detail about the character, you could have easily shown us this instead of outright telling us. Though that problem is pretty minor compared to the next one.
This book is so goddamn PREACHY. I don't have to disagree with the social politics of this author to be annoyed by the constant preachiness that's presented here.
Like, holy shit, am I reading a novel or watching a BuzzFeed video? Stop this. We read books for fun, not to watch characters get lectured about very uncomfortable subjects. Because issues about gender, appropriation and political correctness are oh so relaxing topics to discuss and read about, right?
edit 2021: My views have partly changed since writing this review. I now understand what the author was trying to get at better. I actually agree now, when at the time I felt uncertain. Topics of gender and appropriation are extremely important to discuss in fiction. Still, that passage remains a preachy mess that fails to send any kind of meaningful message and seemingly exists so the author can vent through the mouth of a fictional queer kid in a shallow YA book.
I don't give up on books often. I especially didn't expect to give up on a book with such an awesome sounding premise. Seriously, a boy discovering that his ex best friend has come back from the dead? That sounds straight up my alley.
Sadly, this didn't live up to my (admittedly not very high) expectations.
The problems with this book start with the story. Despite having a very interesting premise, the first half of this book goes by and not a lot happens. They are not curious enough about how July's, the not-dead person's, status came to be. A supernatural phenomenon is taking place and the characters choose to just drive around, hang out, go to a party. Even at 70% things don't pick up pace. It ended up getting quite boring, especially since I didn't end up caring much about the characters.
Even though I never ended up caring for the characters, I have to give this book props for having pretty realistic ones. July's an asshole, but reasonably so. Dino and his friends are realistically cringey (though I'm not sure that was intended). Other than the fact that they make some very dated references, they sound like real teens to me. Though, would a 17-year-old today really make a joke about Janet Jackson at the Superbowl? The character would have been 4 years old at the time of the incident, mind you.
One more major complaint I have about this book has to do with the writing. It wasn't horrible, but it felt amateur. At times, it got very expository for no real reason. It's like the author forgot about the golden rule of 'show, don't tell'.
On his nightstand is a stack of printer paper. A manuscript. Rafi's a writer. I pick up a few pages and read them. [...] Damn. He's not a writer--he's a good writer.
Not only was that an ultimately unnecessary detail about the character, you could have easily shown us this instead of outright telling us. Though that problem is pretty minor compared to the next one.
This book is so goddamn PREACHY. I don't have to disagree with the social politics of this author to be annoyed by the constant preachiness that's presented here.
"Anyone ever call you a fag?" Jamal asks.
"Or a dyke?" Gwen adds.
"No," I say.
"Then those jokes don't belong to you."
Like, holy shit, am I reading a novel or watching a BuzzFeed video? Stop this. We read books for fun, not to watch characters get lectured about very uncomfortable subjects. Because issues about gender, appropriation and political correctness are oh so relaxing topics to discuss and read about, right?
edit 2021: My views have partly changed since writing this review. I now understand what the author was trying to get at better. I actually agree now, when at the time I felt uncertain. Topics of gender and appropriation are extremely important to discuss in fiction. Still, that passage remains a preachy mess that fails to send any kind of meaningful message and seemingly exists so the author can vent through the mouth of a fictional queer kid in a shallow YA book.
May 31, 2019
This book was so fun! 4.5 stars!
As I was reading it I couldn't help thinking about how it is like a guilty pleasure. The storyline is familiar, it's sometimes a bit cheesy, yet overall you can't help but love it.
At times July was super unlikable and you wonder how these two were every really friends, but I can't help but love the banter between the two. Also a goth mom? YES. I loved how the story could make me laugh and yet talk about serious themes like death and acceptance. It was such a well put together story and I read the entire book in a day!
The only reason it's not a complete five stars is because it's not a perfect story. Despite it being a very short book I think that some parts could have been cut out. The book doesn't tie things up till about the last 50 pages. Like I stated before, July's behavior may put many people off. But, I still enjoyed the ride. It was still so fun and entertaining.
I would highly recommend for those who love LGBTQ themes, cheesy rom-com/high school movies, and magical elements thrown into an otherwise contemporary story.
As I was reading it I couldn't help thinking about how it is like a guilty pleasure. The storyline is familiar, it's sometimes a bit cheesy, yet overall you can't help but love it.
At times July was super unlikable and you wonder how these two were every really friends, but I can't help but love the banter between the two. Also a goth mom? YES. I loved how the story could make me laugh and yet talk about serious themes like death and acceptance. It was such a well put together story and I read the entire book in a day!
The only reason it's not a complete five stars is because it's not a perfect story. Despite it being a very short book I think that some parts could have been cut out. The book doesn't tie things up till about the last 50 pages. Like I stated before, July's behavior may put many people off. But, I still enjoyed the ride. It was still so fun and entertaining.
I would highly recommend for those who love LGBTQ themes, cheesy rom-com/high school movies, and magical elements thrown into an otherwise contemporary story.
June 30, 2019
This one wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be. Some elements were good, some were way out there, and others didn't do much for me at all. Very unique premise, though, and I think a lot of the workshopping of emotions and processing was well done. I just didn't quite care enough about the characters for it to get me to a place where, well, I cared.
This is only my second read by Hutchinson, and while this is very different from the first book (which I liked quite a bit), I would nonetheless read the author again.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
This is only my second read by Hutchinson, and while this is very different from the first book (which I liked quite a bit), I would nonetheless read the author again.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
dnf
January 8, 2020dnf @ 34% so no rating
nothing wrong with this one i just can't bring myself to finishing it
nothing wrong with this one i just can't bring myself to finishing it
May 9, 2019
god I love SDH so fucking much
July 30, 2019
“Grief is quiet. Grief is a strangled cry. Tears we hide. A scream in a vacuum where sound doesn’t carry. And though we try to share it, grief is ultimately a burden each of us must carry alone.”
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Ever since I read Undead Girl Gang I've been on the hunt for a book that would give me all the similar feels, and this did not let me down. Although I will say that Undead Girl Gang is still my favorite of the two, this gave me exactly all those feelings I was looking for. Dino and July are ex-best friends but even when they were best friends they didn't have the healthiest of relationships. After July suddenly dies of a brain aneurysm Dino is silently mourning the loss of ex-best friend and how their friendship ended prior to July's death. It sounds like it's a sad subject and don't get me wrong, it will definitely tug at your heart but this is also such a heartwarming story filled with moments that will have you laughing out loud.
“Because you were a freak and I was a freak, and being two freaks together was better than being two freaks alone.”
I really enjoyed how the author takes a closer look at friendship in this book and picks apart how even the best friendships aren't always perfect. July and Dino are both flawed in their own ways and part of that is the reason they're no longer friends anymore. But when Dino is preparing his friends body for her funeral and she wakes up on the gurney - somewhat undead - Dino and July are forced to figure out why she's not fully dead, how long she has before she really kicks the bucket, and why she was temporarily brought back from the dead. Together they pick apart what went wrong in their friendship before July died...for the first time and if there is any way for them to mend the rift between them and find the closure they both need.
"Life probably doesn’t feel like a miracle to the dead, and it sure as hell doesn’t feel like one to those left behind."
My main reason for giving this a 3.5 rating was the ending. It felt a bit rushed and a little too sappy for my cynical taste. When I finished Undead Girl Gang I felt like I was ready to cry and ball my eyes out knowing one friend would have to lose the other again, but while reading this is just felt completely nonchalant knowing that July would soon be dead once and for all. And what's really nonchalant about losing your best friend for the second time? There were also a few plot points that seemed a bit undeveloped for Dino, like his boyfriend and why Dino is so insecure that he feels he doesn't deserved to be loved. I definitely wish that those were talked about more throughout the book.
All in all, despite the ending, I still really enjoyed my time with this book. I FLEW through the audiobook of this and was able to finish July and Dino's story within a few hours. From start to finish this was a wild ride that makes you think about life, death, grief, and friendship. And if you guys know me you know a good ol' thought provoking read is the key to my heart.
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Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Ever since I read Undead Girl Gang I've been on the hunt for a book that would give me all the similar feels, and this did not let me down. Although I will say that Undead Girl Gang is still my favorite of the two, this gave me exactly all those feelings I was looking for. Dino and July are ex-best friends but even when they were best friends they didn't have the healthiest of relationships. After July suddenly dies of a brain aneurysm Dino is silently mourning the loss of ex-best friend and how their friendship ended prior to July's death. It sounds like it's a sad subject and don't get me wrong, it will definitely tug at your heart but this is also such a heartwarming story filled with moments that will have you laughing out loud.
“Because you were a freak and I was a freak, and being two freaks together was better than being two freaks alone.”
I really enjoyed how the author takes a closer look at friendship in this book and picks apart how even the best friendships aren't always perfect. July and Dino are both flawed in their own ways and part of that is the reason they're no longer friends anymore. But when Dino is preparing his friends body for her funeral and she wakes up on the gurney - somewhat undead - Dino and July are forced to figure out why she's not fully dead, how long she has before she really kicks the bucket, and why she was temporarily brought back from the dead. Together they pick apart what went wrong in their friendship before July died...for the first time and if there is any way for them to mend the rift between them and find the closure they both need.
"Life probably doesn’t feel like a miracle to the dead, and it sure as hell doesn’t feel like one to those left behind."
My main reason for giving this a 3.5 rating was the ending. It felt a bit rushed and a little too sappy for my cynical taste. When I finished Undead Girl Gang I felt like I was ready to cry and ball my eyes out knowing one friend would have to lose the other again, but while reading this is just felt completely nonchalant knowing that July would soon be dead once and for all. And what's really nonchalant about losing your best friend for the second time? There were also a few plot points that seemed a bit undeveloped for Dino, like his boyfriend and why Dino is so insecure that he feels he doesn't deserved to be loved. I definitely wish that those were talked about more throughout the book.
All in all, despite the ending, I still really enjoyed my time with this book. I FLEW through the audiobook of this and was able to finish July and Dino's story within a few hours. From start to finish this was a wild ride that makes you think about life, death, grief, and friendship. And if you guys know me you know a good ol' thought provoking read is the key to my heart.
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April 29, 2019
I think this is the most underwhelmed I’ve felt about any Shaun David Hutchinson book to date, which is disappointing. The book has an interesting premise, Dino’s ex-best friend July comes back to life the day before her funeral and they talk about things they never did when she was alive, but I was left unsatisfied with a lot of the character development and how the plot progressed.
Look, I can really enjoy unsympathetic or unlikable characters… but July was a horrible person and I wasn’t down with how this book was trying to get me to sympathize with her or think that Dino was just as bad a friend as she was. Because he wasn’t. I appreciated how July was called out for the shitty things she said about a trans character and her broad generalizations of queer people… but it just wasn’t enough.
I don’t know if it’s just that this was much shorter than Hutchinson’s other books, but this felt way less fleshed out. Also, having the POVs of both Dino and July in a book that’s under 300 pages made both of their characters seem less fully realized. Also, I thought it would have been really interesting if the story ended in a totally different place than it actually did. The real ending seemed a little bit like a cop out.
I by no means think this is a horrible book, but in comparison with his other works (especially We Are the Ants) this feels way less sophisticated.
Look, I can really enjoy unsympathetic or unlikable characters… but July was a horrible person and I wasn’t down with how this book was trying to get me to sympathize with her or think that Dino was just as bad a friend as she was. Because he wasn’t. I appreciated how July was called out for the shitty things she said about a trans character and her broad generalizations of queer people… but it just wasn’t enough.
I don’t know if it’s just that this was much shorter than Hutchinson’s other books, but this felt way less fleshed out. Also, having the POVs of both Dino and July in a book that’s under 300 pages made both of their characters seem less fully realized. Also, I thought it would have been really interesting if the story ended in a totally different place than it actually did. The real ending seemed a little bit like a cop out.
I by no means think this is a horrible book, but in comparison with his other works (especially We Are the Ants) this feels way less sophisticated.
May 16, 2019
3.5 stars
Alright so this book was weird . I've read Hutchinson's We Are the Ants and loved it. It was kinda weird too. But this one takes it up a notch.
I was quite surprised about how even after being focusing around death the book didn't get depressing . Dino and July , the two mcs , weren't really too likable but I was still rooting for them . All in all the novel's atmosphere , characters and Hutchinson's prose made this read an interesting one . I'd be looking forward to more of the author's works .
Alright so this book was weird . I've read Hutchinson's We Are the Ants and loved it. It was kinda weird too. But this one takes it up a notch.
I was quite surprised about how even after being focusing around death the book didn't get depressing . Dino and July , the two mcs , weren't really too likable but I was still rooting for them . All in all the novel's atmosphere , characters and Hutchinson's prose made this read an interesting one . I'd be looking forward to more of the author's works .
February 20, 2019
3.5
Dino DeLuca's family owns a funeral home, so from a young age he learned to spend time with the dead. Dino's situation if far from perfect and is giving him a lot of trouble: he does not know what to do with his life, his parents want him to be a mortician and he is confused about his boyfriend Rafi, a trans boy who seems too good to be real.
Things get worse when July Cooper, who used to be his best friend, dies suddenly from an aneurysm. No chance to say goodbye or trying to fix things up with her. Dino feels terrible because they are the ones who will prepare her for the funeral. When Dino is putting makeup on July's body to make her look beautiful for the last time, things get totally weird when she opens her eyes and comes back to life.
Jinkx as a representation of "I need cake before I die again" like July Cooper
I am already used to Shaun's premises, because they usually take paranormal and fantastic elements to explore complex life situations and this book has a little bit of Pushing Daisies in it: if people who died came back to life and you could see them again... What would you say? How would you react? Hutchinson plays with the story of Dino and July, the story of a estranged friendship and even if the weirdest of situations, it could be seen as a second chance to leave the past behind.
The novel, like his other books, presents several emotional situations for the main character: his conflict with his future and finding what he really wants to be, his relationship with Rafi and the miracle of July's resurrection and how they both with try to fix everything up. July is a good character, her conversations with Dino are dynamic and complicated, because there is a lot of story between them: why they stopped talking and when everything went wrong. I could feel through their conversations the true nature of friendships, with their ups and downs and how people can be important for you and then they just go away and you learn to let them go.
The novel manages to balance funny and sad moments, and between the weirdness of it all you are back into reality: your best friend now is a reanimated corpse who wants to eat in a restaurant but who is going to be buried in a matter of hours and you must find a way to make her die again . It is realistic to see how putrefaction, the foul smell and what happens to us when we die is part of the story and is something that is present and not overlooked, as a constant reminder of the unnatural situation of it all.
However, I feel that the fantastic part of the story is pretty much left unresolved and even though it was not the intention to make a great emphasis on it. The novel tends to take the paranormal aspect lightly to focus on the narrative possibilities of the situation of someone who has risen from the dead and, in the real end of things, she must accept that is no longer part of the living world.
I liked the author's exploration of death, life, the past and friendships. The narrative style is simple and effective and although the novel has a good pace, there were certains moments that the story wasn't gripping me as much as I wanted to. Still, I think it is a very good novel to get to know his books if you haven't already (because I recommend them, like, every 2 seconds), so I highly recommend it.
**********************************
RESEÑA EN ESPAÑOL
La familia de Dino DeLuca son dueños de una casa de funerales, así que desde muy joven él aprendió a pasar tiempo con los muertos. La vida de Dino está en un punto incierto: no sabe qué hacer con su vida y con su novio Rafi, un joven trans que parece demasiado bueno para ser real.
Las cosas se ponen peor cuando July Cooper, la antigua mejor amiga de Dino y que llevaban un tiempo distanciados, fallece súbitamente por un aneurisma. Sin posibilidades de despedirse y resolver las cosas con ella, Dino se siente terrible porque son ellos los que prepararán a la joven para su entierro. Cuando Dino está maquillando el cadáver de July para que se vea bella por última vez, las cosas se ponen raras cuando ella abre los ojos y vuelve a la vida.
Ya estoy acostumbrada a las premisas de este autor porque suelen tomar elementos paranormales y fantásticos para explorar situaciones complejas y este libro tiene un poco de la premisa de la serie Pushing Daisies en él: si las personas que han muerto volvieran a la vida y pudieras volver a verles y hablar con ellos ¿Qué les dirías? ¿Cómo reaccionar ante una situación así? Shaun juega con la historia de Dino y July, la historia de una amistad truncada y cómo volver a la vida puede traer sin fin de complicaciones para los que siguen vivos.
La novela, como otras obras del autor, presenta varias situaciones emocionales para el protagonista: su conflicto con su futuro y encontrar lo que realmente quiere hacer, su noviazgo y claro está, la resurrección milagrosa de July y como juntos van a tratar de solucionarlo. July es un buen personaje, sus conversaciones con Dino son dinámicas y complicadas, porque hay mucha historia y carga entre ambos: por qué dejaron de hablarse y en qué momento las cosas se torcieron. Pude sentir a través de sus conversaciones la naturaleza de muchas amistades, con sus altibajos y como las personas podemos ir acercándonos y alejándonos de los que alguna vez nos importaron mucho y creíamos que eran esenciales en nuestra vida.
La novela balancea muy bien los momentos divertidos con los que te dan un golpe de realidad y te ponen de nuevo en situación: la que una vez fue tu mejor amiga ahora es una muerta viviente que quiere comer en un restaurante pero que va a ser enterrada en cuestión de horas y debes encontrar la forma para que vuelva a morir. Es realista ver como la putrefacción, los olores y lo que nos pasa al morir hace parte de la historia en medio de lo surrealista de la situación y es algo que está presente y no se oculta, es un aterrizaje constante a la situación real.
Sin embargo, siento que la parte mas fantástica de la historia queda bastante por los aires y aunque seguramente no era la intención hacer un gran hincapié en una explicación. La novela tiende a tomar con ligereza su aspecto más paranormal para centrarse en las posibilidades narrativas de la situación de alguien que ha resucitado y como, al final de cuentas, debe aceptar que ya no hace parte del mundo de los vivos.
Me ha gustado la exploración que hace el autor sobre la muerte, la vida, el pasado y la amistad. El estilo narrativo es ameno y si bien la novela tiene un ritmo bueno, se notaron ciertos altibajos con el fluir de la historia. De resto, creo que es una muy buena novela para conocer el trabajo del autor si aún no lo han hecho (porque a excepción de un par de libros, he leído todo lo que ha publicado), así que recomiendo mucho este libro y sus demás obras.
Dino DeLuca's family owns a funeral home, so from a young age he learned to spend time with the dead. Dino's situation if far from perfect and is giving him a lot of trouble: he does not know what to do with his life, his parents want him to be a mortician and he is confused about his boyfriend Rafi, a trans boy who seems too good to be real.
Things get worse when July Cooper, who used to be his best friend, dies suddenly from an aneurysm. No chance to say goodbye or trying to fix things up with her. Dino feels terrible because they are the ones who will prepare her for the funeral. When Dino is putting makeup on July's body to make her look beautiful for the last time, things get totally weird when she opens her eyes and comes back to life.
Jinkx as a representation of "I need cake before I die again" like July Cooper
I am already used to Shaun's premises, because they usually take paranormal and fantastic elements to explore complex life situations and this book has a little bit of Pushing Daisies in it: if people who died came back to life and you could see them again... What would you say? How would you react? Hutchinson plays with the story of Dino and July, the story of a estranged friendship and even if the weirdest of situations, it could be seen as a second chance to leave the past behind.
The novel, like his other books, presents several emotional situations for the main character: his conflict with his future and finding what he really wants to be, his relationship with Rafi and the miracle of July's resurrection and how they both with try to fix everything up. July is a good character, her conversations with Dino are dynamic and complicated, because there is a lot of story between them: why they stopped talking and when everything went wrong. I could feel through their conversations the true nature of friendships, with their ups and downs and how people can be important for you and then they just go away and you learn to let them go.
The novel manages to balance funny and sad moments, and between the weirdness of it all you are back into reality: your best friend now is a reanimated corpse who wants to eat in a restaurant but who is going to be buried in a matter of hours and you must find a way to make her die again . It is realistic to see how putrefaction, the foul smell and what happens to us when we die is part of the story and is something that is present and not overlooked, as a constant reminder of the unnatural situation of it all.
However, I feel that the fantastic part of the story is pretty much left unresolved and even though it was not the intention to make a great emphasis on it. The novel tends to take the paranormal aspect lightly to focus on the narrative possibilities of the situation of someone who has risen from the dead and, in the real end of things, she must accept that is no longer part of the living world.
I liked the author's exploration of death, life, the past and friendships. The narrative style is simple and effective and although the novel has a good pace, there were certains moments that the story wasn't gripping me as much as I wanted to. Still, I think it is a very good novel to get to know his books if you haven't already (because I recommend them, like, every 2 seconds), so I highly recommend it.
**********************************
RESEÑA EN ESPAÑOL
La familia de Dino DeLuca son dueños de una casa de funerales, así que desde muy joven él aprendió a pasar tiempo con los muertos. La vida de Dino está en un punto incierto: no sabe qué hacer con su vida y con su novio Rafi, un joven trans que parece demasiado bueno para ser real.
Las cosas se ponen peor cuando July Cooper, la antigua mejor amiga de Dino y que llevaban un tiempo distanciados, fallece súbitamente por un aneurisma. Sin posibilidades de despedirse y resolver las cosas con ella, Dino se siente terrible porque son ellos los que prepararán a la joven para su entierro. Cuando Dino está maquillando el cadáver de July para que se vea bella por última vez, las cosas se ponen raras cuando ella abre los ojos y vuelve a la vida.
Ya estoy acostumbrada a las premisas de este autor porque suelen tomar elementos paranormales y fantásticos para explorar situaciones complejas y este libro tiene un poco de la premisa de la serie Pushing Daisies en él: si las personas que han muerto volvieran a la vida y pudieras volver a verles y hablar con ellos ¿Qué les dirías? ¿Cómo reaccionar ante una situación así? Shaun juega con la historia de Dino y July, la historia de una amistad truncada y cómo volver a la vida puede traer sin fin de complicaciones para los que siguen vivos.
La novela, como otras obras del autor, presenta varias situaciones emocionales para el protagonista: su conflicto con su futuro y encontrar lo que realmente quiere hacer, su noviazgo y claro está, la resurrección milagrosa de July y como juntos van a tratar de solucionarlo. July es un buen personaje, sus conversaciones con Dino son dinámicas y complicadas, porque hay mucha historia y carga entre ambos: por qué dejaron de hablarse y en qué momento las cosas se torcieron. Pude sentir a través de sus conversaciones la naturaleza de muchas amistades, con sus altibajos y como las personas podemos ir acercándonos y alejándonos de los que alguna vez nos importaron mucho y creíamos que eran esenciales en nuestra vida.
La novela balancea muy bien los momentos divertidos con los que te dan un golpe de realidad y te ponen de nuevo en situación: la que una vez fue tu mejor amiga ahora es una muerta viviente que quiere comer en un restaurante pero que va a ser enterrada en cuestión de horas y debes encontrar la forma para que vuelva a morir. Es realista ver como la putrefacción, los olores y lo que nos pasa al morir hace parte de la historia en medio de lo surrealista de la situación y es algo que está presente y no se oculta, es un aterrizaje constante a la situación real.
Sin embargo, siento que la parte mas fantástica de la historia queda bastante por los aires y aunque seguramente no era la intención hacer un gran hincapié en una explicación. La novela tiende a tomar con ligereza su aspecto más paranormal para centrarse en las posibilidades narrativas de la situación de alguien que ha resucitado y como, al final de cuentas, debe aceptar que ya no hace parte del mundo de los vivos.
Me ha gustado la exploración que hace el autor sobre la muerte, la vida, el pasado y la amistad. El estilo narrativo es ameno y si bien la novela tiene un ritmo bueno, se notaron ciertos altibajos con el fluir de la historia. De resto, creo que es una muy buena novela para conocer el trabajo del autor si aún no lo han hecho (porque a excepción de un par de libros, he leído todo lo que ha publicado), así que recomiendo mucho este libro y sus demás obras.
November 7, 2020
Okay, so a lot happened in this book and I'm still not even sure how I truly feel about it all. It was a hot mess but had some entertaining moments.
In The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried, you will meet Dino and July. They used to be pretty good best friends until some things were said and done. Before things could be good between them again, July has an untimely death. Well, she did.. for a hot second.
Now she's dead and they are hanging out together because for some reason July doesn't think she is actually dying. Not really a zombie but food just seems disgusting to her. Plus she smells like death too. Dino is trying to figure out what is going on and why she just wont die. Along the way, they sort of rebuild their friendship and end up doing a goodbye at the end.
Honestly, I liked Dino a lot more than July. She just seemed really self-centered and made jokes about things she really didn't need to mention about. I really liked how Dino's friends said some serious stuff about it because it made her think about what she said. Now this was a huge lightbulb moment for her because it made her realize that she did overstep when it came to the LGBTG+ community.
Other than that, it was an okay book. I did kind of zone in and out throughout the book. It had potentially to be really great but ended up in the okay area for me. Glad I finally knocked it off my TBR though.
In The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried, you will meet Dino and July. They used to be pretty good best friends until some things were said and done. Before things could be good between them again, July has an untimely death. Well, she did.. for a hot second.
Now she's dead and they are hanging out together because for some reason July doesn't think she is actually dying. Not really a zombie but food just seems disgusting to her. Plus she smells like death too. Dino is trying to figure out what is going on and why she just wont die. Along the way, they sort of rebuild their friendship and end up doing a goodbye at the end.
Honestly, I liked Dino a lot more than July. She just seemed really self-centered and made jokes about things she really didn't need to mention about. I really liked how Dino's friends said some serious stuff about it because it made her think about what she said. Now this was a huge lightbulb moment for her because it made her realize that she did overstep when it came to the LGBTG+ community.
Other than that, it was an okay book. I did kind of zone in and out throughout the book. It had potentially to be really great but ended up in the okay area for me. Glad I finally knocked it off my TBR though.
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