How Far We Go and How Fast

by Nora Decter

Sixteen-year-old Jolene, named after the girl in the Dolly Parton song, is from a long line of lowlifes, but at least they're musical lowlifes. Her mother is a tanning-salon manager who believes she can channel her karaoke habit into a professional singing career. Jolene's dad, a failed bass player, has gone back to the family demolition business and lives by the company motto: "We do not build things; we only tear them down." But Jolene and her big brother, Matt, are true musicians, writing songs together that make everything Jo hates about their lives matter less.

When Matt up and leaves in the middle of the night, Jo loses her only friend, her support system and the one person who made her feel cool. As it becomes clear that Matt is never coming back, Jo must use music to navigate her loss.

Genres: Young Adult, Music, Fiction

257 pages, Paperback

Published September 25, 2018

About the author

Nora Decter grew up in the North End of Winnipeg. She earned a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from York University and an MFA from Stony Brook University. In 2019 her debut young adult novel How Far We Go and How Fast received the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for literary fiction, selected by author Craig Davidson. She was a 2020 BookEnds fellow, working on her novel What’s Not Mine with program founders Susan Scarf Merrell and Meg Wolitzer. Nora lives in Winnipeg on Treaty 1 territory with her partner and their two cats, near the foot of Garbage Hill.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book I was hooked. As I continued to read, the story became somewhat mundane, but I had to discover what was going to happen with Jolene and her family.

He strummed, gently at first and then harder, and as the rhythm unfurled into a song, I sang along. I usually only ever sang when we were walking, when we were goofing around, and that was more like hollering anyway. I didn’t know how it sounded now or if he wanted me to shut up, but when the song concluded Matt looked up and said, “That sounded good. Let’s do it again.”

The book is told from Jolene’s POV. Jolene isn’t a very confident person and feels quite worthless. She’s really only comfortable when she’s with her older brother Matt. It’s during these times that she can relax, be herself, and play music. Out of the blue, Matt leaves and Jolene is left in a world of depression. It’s like Jolene has been beat down and has to find a way to build herself up again. She needs to live again and has no idea how. Her people skills are lacking and she doesn’t have a lot of support.

When Matt left, parts of me stopped working. My mouth doesn’t move when I try to talk. Or it opens and nothing comes out. At night when I lie down to sleep, I can’t close my eyes, even when I try. My feet won’t listen to reason. Some days they insist on carrying me to a strange part of town, like they have an appointment to keep that I’m not privy to.

Her dad doesn’t want to talk about Matt and her mom is simply too busy singing karaoke and bringing people home from the bar. Everyone seems to be living their lives–even with Matt gone–when all Jolene can think about is getting her brother back or leaving Winnipeg for good. She talks to her dog named Howl and seems to gain some comfort there. She continues to play guitar to cope as it’s the only thing connecting her to her brother as she attempts to find a way to move forward with her life.

I play my song again, trying to get it perfect this time. I think it counts as a song, but I don’t know how to tell when you’re making more than noise, when you’ve given the sound enough shape to call it something else. I played it over and over last night so I wouldn’t forget it. I played till it infiltrated my bones and my pulse fell in step alongside it, until I could hear it even when I stopped playing, so that any dreams I might have had were drowned out. Music is the noise I make out loud. The rest I keep inside myself.

The premise of this story is interesting, but the majority of the book is Jolene dealing with depression and coping with her brother’s absence. On top of that, she deals with her dysfunctional family. The book deals with loss and other themes including: coming of age, tragedy, facing fears, and family. I’m not going to say I didn’t feel emotion when reading it, because I did, but there surely isn’t a whole lot happening for much of the book. It’s quite dismal, but around half way through the book picks up and you start figuring out things that were previously hidden and eventually everything comes together.

As far as characters, I thought some were well developed, but a few others weren’t. Jolene’s dad, for instance, doesn’t have much of a background at all and some of the secondary characters were just there. I was able to really connect with Jolene having an older brother within the same age gap, but some of the things she does in the book just seemed a tad strange. I understand that she’s dealing with depression and feeling abandoned, but in the beginning of the book she comes off as thinking quite negatively and simply accepting her mother’s drinking habits and wild lifestyle, but then as the story moves on in the second half, Jolene is the one out partying, using drugs, and drinking so that she can open up and become more social. Jolene is highly neglected for being sixteen years old. For these reasons, this may be a book better for older teens due to the drug use and drinking, etc. Of course this is my personal opinion.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Outside of finding parts of it dull, I thought it was written well and I’ll look for more books by this author in the future.

*I would avoid reading reviews on this one before you read the book because there are a few reviews that share HUGE spoilers. It’s best to just go in blind with this one, in my opinion.*

3.5***

I’d like to thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

You can also see this review@ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2018/...

[✨faith✨trust✨pixiedust✨ Dead Account; Not Coming Back · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this eARC from Orca Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Around here anything can happen, and it very often does.

Obligatory Summary

Jolene is struggling with the sudden absence of her brother while trying to go to school, eat, walk her dog, hang out with friends, and deal with her absent parents. The only thing that gets her through is her music. But when does a coping mechanism become a crutch, and when does the problem become too much to ignore? How will long until she can't stay in her hometown? How long until she joins Matt?

This is a story about sadness and loss and avoidance through action and inaction. It's a mystery and a coming-of-age and a drama. It's about the grieving process, and how it takes time to be okay, and how you'll never be the same again, but you can learn to love what you have and what you've lost too.

I don’t know if I believe in time. I mean, I don’t believe it works for me the same way it works for other people. Other people can count on today turning into tomorrow and tomorrow turning into the day after that. But I can’t count on it at all.

The Writing and Characters

I really enjoyed the writing in this book. It read it in mostly one sitting. It really just flowed well and drew me in deep rather quickly. I loved the plot and the pacing. The whole thing gave me some strong Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock feels with a dash of Sadie thrown in for good measure.

A unique aspect was the music and concerts Jo goes to. I love music and I honestly related to that part of the story so much (minus the drugs and alcohol)

All the characters felt so real. I know people like them. I love them. I hate them. I am them.

Jolene: She was so relatable it scares me a little. She's an overthinker to the extreme (hello, that's me), she avoids conflict (thanks for calling me out, Nora Decter), and she dresses like a hobo with some money stashed away (help me). She's self-deprecating and sarcastic, and I just want her to have good things (I want to have good things too).

Her relationship with Matt, her brother, was definitely one of the most interesting parts of the book. It just so happens that one of my WIPs is basically the same plot (but I a sci-fi setting) so to see it so wonderfully executed was both exhilarating and frightening.

Maggie: She's such a great character. She's awful, but also awfully human. She's not bad but not good and you have to love what she gives you

The Squad: Graham, Drew, and manicpixiedreamgirl were fun characters, and really liked them, but they were definitely the least interesting part of the book, though they did help move the plot along.

Ms Groves: She's honestly the Herr Silverman of this book and I loved her. She's sassy and unconventional and freaking loves tea.

I can’t tell him how I’ve slowly stopped going to school, at first because everybody looked at me and now because they don’t look at me at all and it turns out maybe it’s worse that way. It’s what I wanted, but it’s worse. I can’t tell him that sometimes when I come over and we hang out, it’s been a day or two since I’ve said much out loud, and my voice sounds strange to my ears. I can’t tell him how much I want to leave or how I’m afraid I might someday, like tomorrow or the day after that. And how I’m afraid leaving might be like other things I thought I wanted and then, after I got them, it turned out I didn’t. I don’t tell him how afraid I am. Of everything. How I see danger everywhere. How sometimes when I try to sleep at night I see a roof collapsing on him at work, or the floor caving in, or I see him falling. How I see Maggie plowing the car into a tree or the river or something else that seems harmless until it’s not. I don’t tell him how sometimes I think I’m right when I’m wrong. Really right when I’m really, really wrong. And so it’s not just that I don’t trust other people. I don’t trust myself.

I don’t tell him these things so that he won’t say they’re amazing. Because Jim thinks everything is amazing. And everything is not.

Conclusion

I really appreciate this book. It's short and intense and will make you cry. Also, it's got a psuedo-psychic dog named Howl for goodness sake! Read it!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death and dying.

In this case, it is Joline’s brother, Matt, who has died, and with him, the last shreads of what has grounded her to her home with her alcoholic mother, and her distant, divorced father. Matt was there for her, taught her about music and how to listen, and now he is gone.

And so, this book is a story of a journey. Jolene knows she wants to, needs to go somewhere, but doesn’t know where, just not be in Winnipeg.

And yes, that is the whole book, this journey, this mourning in her own way, so to speak.

But along the way we get bot mots such as these:

An empty king can of Coors rolls by, the Winnipeg equivalent of a tumbleweed

Or

“Because I don’t believe in love,” I saw through a mouthful of deep fried potato. They look at each other.
“What do you mean you don’t believe in it? Love isn’t like a Sasquatch. It’s existence isn’t up for debate,” he says.

This is not to say it isn’t a typically angstish teenager, in the story, but she has a lot to say, and a lot of pain.

Well written. I won’t say enjoyable, because books like these are tear jerkers, or emotion tiggers. But there is the joy in reading a well written book.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously the best book I’ve read all year.

This book is a spooky coming-of-age tale that centers on Jolene and her wrecked family. Her parents are divorced, her mom’s strung out, and she tries her hardest to stay out of their way while dealing with her older brother’s disappearance.

Jolene is a dynamic character. Her age is indeterminate and unconfirmed until the last page of the book, and so the reader has to guess from her behavior and actions how old she really is. She is cognizant of her own actions, and often will reflect on the deeper meaning behind her outbursts or self-damaging behavior. She has an array of people that she meets, each personalities of their own, and, of course, there is Howl, her dog. Howl serves as her conscience in the book, tugging her back on track any time she started to stray too far.

Also, it takes please in Winnipeg. That’s awesome.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Between the cold, run-down setting and Jolene’s emotions, the feelings of isolation and desolation are palpable in this one, yet it has this great uplifting cathartic quality to it as well.

Sixteen year old Jolene counted on her older brother when she couldn’t count on her parents, they shared a love of music, and he helped her be brave, so when he left on a bus without telling her, it hurt and only became more devastating with time, so much so that she’s reeling, making questionable choices and becoming increasingly lost, but there are glimmers of hope there, too, people willing to help if she’ll just reach out for them.

I cared about Jolene right from the start, I found her conversations with her dog and her struggle to talk to just about anyone else so endearing and identifiable, it pained me when she got into worrying situations, and pleased me whenever she took a positive step, I was so invested in what would become of her that it was a struggle for me every time I had to put the book down and go do something else.

I really liked how much depth the secondary characters had, too, whether it’s Jolene’s new friend, her love interest, her divorced parents or the other adults in her life, they had distinct personalities and at any given moment were capable of disappointment or stepping up, just like actual flawed, complicated humans, and I was happily surprised by the direction a couple of them did and did not end up going in.

Growth and setbacks happen at a believable pace in this story, and I loved that while things are hinted at, the reveals come gradually, always at the right time and in the right way for the most emotional impact, you can take a guess at what’s coming, yet it still manages to hit you in the heart.


I received this ARC through a giveaway.

[Seb · Rating 5 out of 5]

My cousin wrote a book, it's great!

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this and it hurt me

[Rachel León]

so so good

[Amanda Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

16-year-old Jolene is navigating life on her own terms since her father is often absent, her mother is a drunk partygirl, and her older brother (and best friend) has fled West. Winter in their Canadian town is brutally cold, yet Jo's favorite pastime is walking her dog, who speaks to her telepathically. Jo is also passionate about her music, which is a gift her brother gave her growing up, them against the world. When Jo makes her first friend after her brother has left, her world gets a little bigger and a whole lot scarier. And although Jo spends her days dreaming of leaving for good, we slowly find out that things are not what they seem. I truly enjoyed the story and the writing style, as well as the slow discoveries revealed throughout the book. I won this book from LibraryThing.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read this novel a few years back, and rereading it I am struck even further by it. Following our teenage protag Jolene (named after the Dolly Parton song) as she skips school, plays music, thinks too much, tends to her drunk mother, sneaks into classes at the University of Winnipeg, and tries to find a way out of the city—ideally west, where her older brother went suddenly one night. She fights with winter, with her mother, and slowly over the course of the novel a bigger truth is revealed. I won't spoil that—though it's of course not a "twist" in the sense that once you know it, the book is no longer interesting. But the brilliance with which Decter releases information, unfolds the story, is breathtaking. How you feel for Jolene—scrappy and smart and sad and seeking consolation from her dog—and how you fall as well for the ragtag cast of characters all trying to survive the horrible Winnipeg winter—and have the best intentions to make their lives better while doing it. Highly recommend for the young (as it is marketed as YA for older teens) and the less young folk alike.

[Martina Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Far We Go and How Fast is a bitterly beautiful coming-of-age story of a teen named Joelene - yes, after the Dolly Parton song - who grows up in Manitoba which serves not only as a physical backdrop but also as a sort of emotional state. Her world is not warm and fuzzy, it's frozen through and needs to be manipulated in order for her to survive.
In her world, however, she has her brother Matt. A fellow musician and, really, her best friend. When he goes missing, things just get worse.
I had the good fortune to study with Nora Decter and can tell you that she is not only a brilliant writer, but she is also a solid human unafraid of putting in the extra work for her writing, her teaching, or for helping others.
The greatest part of my MFA is that I got to see writing evolve from ideas and pieces into chapters and fully shaped manuscripts and How Far We Go and How Fast is a perfect example. What resulted is a profound, poignant story of how ugly life can be and yet how we can still come out standing tall and thriving.
Decter brings us along on Joelene's journey with the anguish, sorrow, struggles, and conflicts of real life, but also with the unexpected joys and the ever-present humor that accompanies the experiences of finding our way in the world.
I recommend this for teens trying to find themselves in this weird world, but also for adults who just want a good read and a reminder that we're tougher than we think we are. And, above all, for anyone needing a reminder of how powerful the relationship between siblings can be because they never need the back story.

[Sascha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars

Honestly, when I read the blurb, I wasn't expecting the novel I ended up reading. Nora Decter's How Far We Go and How Fast (although the title should have given me a hint) is an absorbing novel of a 16-year old girl, Jolene, who has managed to survive her dysfunctional household thanks to the support of her older brother, Matt, and passion for the music they share. When he leaves, she flounders, trying to navigate the waters of feeling abandoned and lost.

In Decter's skillful writing, the reader is nonchalantly following a path of expectation. Almost midway through the novel, I realized that I'd been following the wrong path and frankly I didn't want to put the book down, although I was obligated to finish another ahead of it, and had to set it aside. As soon as I could, I grabbed the book and devoured the remainder.

Jo's exploration is like following a nightmare, the cold, the gray, the isolation. While she had once been like everyone else, an accomplished swimmer, a good student, she now is on the periphery, feeling like she will never be like everyone else, that she is not a good person, that it's all somehow lost to her.

Decter hands the reader clues. Subtle clues.

By the end, I was crying with Jo. To offer more would be to spoil the story for you. Suffice to say, if you're a fan of Gayle Forman, Jandy Nelson, or Jessi Kirby, you might want to read How Far We Go and How Fast.
I won an ARC from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

[Isabella Margerin · Rating 3 out of 5]

How Far We Go and How Fast is about Jolene, or Jo as she is otherwise known, who is left reeling after her brother Matt leaves Winnipeg for the west coast. Throughout this novel we see Jo struggling to figure out her life. She wants to run away but she still attends school, albeit not her actual high school but the local university. She makes some new friends through her attendance there but falls further into despair with her brother gone. Jo frequently brings up music, specifically guitar playing, in relation to her and her brothers connection as well as a means of dealing with her emotions. I enjoyed this books setting in Winnipeg, Canada in addition to the relatability of the main character. Jo is dealing with the hand she has been dealt in life. She lives on the wrong side of the tracks, has an alcoholic mother (who we see is actually trying and dealing with her issues), and overall seems to be having a hard time over the course of the book. At her core though she is still just a teenager trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life and is that not something we have all dealt with personally? I also thoroughly enjoyed Decter's writing and once I got into this novel it was a very quick page turner. If you are looking for a family drama that deals with grief, addiction, and forgiveness I would highly recommend this book!

[Amie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an advance copy of this book. **Any quotes used are subject to change prior to final publication**

"I guess what I'm beginning to understand is that you can kill yourself asking unanswerable questions."

This book was not what I was expecting. I honestly wasn't sure where the story was going...until it happened and we were there. It read very much as literary fiction, but toned down to be appealing to the YA crowd.

It's so fascinating how people handle grief. It can be difficult to pinpoint if someone is acting a certain way due to grieving (which is exactly what happened to me in this case) and it always makes for an interesting story.

I really liked Jolene's character, she was flawed but in a beautiful way. And HOWL! OMG, I loved Howl. "Because, she says, I pay attention to my family. It's my job." I actually loved all the characters, which is very rare.

I love books about music, there's not much I enjoy more than seeing passionate words about music and how it makes people feel.

While writing this I realized how much more I enjoyed the story than I initially thought!

[Masont1999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based off of the inner cover description, I thought this book would be about a girl leaving her hometown to find her missing brother. For better and for worse, this book is not that.

Nora Decter grew up in Winnipeg and has a past in music, making me believe that the main character Jolene is at least partially based off of her own experiences, or at least, what she knows from growing up in Winnipeg. And that comes across clearly. This book is a detailed depiction of a music-loving teenage girl growing up in Winnipeg. It's certainly well written.

My issue comes with the fact that I don't quite actually like Jolene. She, to me, is bratty and unnecessarily cruel regarding the world around her. I do feel for her, but unfortunately I don't actually like her. It's hard to like a book where the main character feels unlikable.

Either way, I am glad I read this story. I'd recommend it to anyone that enjoys an emotional, harsh, sometimes conflicting coming-of-age story. This book tackles grief, fear of the unknown, and growing up, and for all its' flaws, does so pretty well.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not really sure if this was the book for me, since it was just a hard read for me to get through. The writing is splendid, but the story is just... there. I didn't really feel like Jolene really got anywhere in terms of character development. I feel like her mom improved more, with the help of Louis (and apparent therapy), but it's funny because she practically hates her throughout the book (which, to be fair, I can see why) but that seems to be on the road to resolution when her mom helps her get something back that was meaningful to Jolene. Groves seemed to be the only promising thing in this book to me.

It took me a bit of time to get through this book, since I just constantly wanted to put it down, but at the same time hate adding DNF books to my list.

This was an ARC from Librarything, but constantly had to put the book down because it just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Alison Gadsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Far We Go And How Fast is classified as a YA novel, but I'd say it was thoroughly enjoyable as an adult fiction book.
It's told in first person present, which I am usually not a fan of, but in the end I see it was necessary to have that voice carry the book. We needed to hear Jolene and experience her present at a pace that supported her emotional state of mind. She walks around lost in her pain and the absence of her brother and Jolene is the only person who can give us her truth and it has to happen at her pace, in her time.
This book is about how music connects us and moves us through the emotional ups and downs of life.
Recommended for anyone to read, but absolutely urge you to get this for a teenager who might need to spend some time with another grieving teenager.

[Shelley Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

How Far We Go tells the story of 16 year old Jolene Tucker and her mom in Winnipeg. Jolene talks to her dog (symbolizing loneliness?), but not much to anyone else, and music helps pass the time. Her brother "left" 1 year before with his custom blues guitar. She skips school to hang out alone, sneak into university classes, and stop into pawn shops to look at guitars. A couple weeks of drinking, drugs, and sex. Seems very pro drinking which is in contrast to the first half of book devoted to describing how mom is drunk & messed up every day. Ending seems rushed, but story has clear concise wrap up with everything worked out nice & tidy.

[Ms. Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jolene is growing up in Canada with a fickle mother and a sometimes-absent father. Her brother and best friend, Matt, left for something bigger and better, which Jolene hopes to do eventually. She runs into an old swim team acquaintance during her efforts to deal with the grief of her brother leaving, and she begins to hide her grief in other ways.

Not a lot happened in this book. It's mainly Jolene trying to figure her life out through a series of events (some as mundane as walking her dog). The writing is excellent; I certainly felt the pull of Jolene's emotions, and I really was invested in her as a character.

[Dylan]

I want to read it so bad

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on dealing with loss. Full review can be found at Ash Reads Stuff.

[Lyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had an interesting premise, and after reading a chapter I was hooked. However, thinking back to when I read it, Jolene is a little annoying in the way that she puts herself down after her brother ran away. She didn't go to her high school and went to a university where she pretended to be someone she is not. While it is something that can happen, it just didn't make sense and didn't run nicely in the story. I did really enjoy reading this though, and I do plan to reread this and annotate it as well.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was kind of indifferent to the story, and to the characters, but it was not a bad book in the least. I liked a lot of the lines and more than that I liked Jolene's voice, even if I didn't like her. I think it just wasn't for me.