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When You Were Older

Catherine Ryan Hyde

Discussion: Transworld Titles

Why we're reading this: Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain, the powerful new novel from the bestselling autho…more
[close] Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain, the powerful new novel from the bestselling author of Love in the Present Tense.

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Mar 11, 2012 Nikki-ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: received-for-review

Russell Ammiano is rushing to get ready and out through the door to go to work on September 11th 2011 when a phone call saves his life. As tragedy strikes New York, Russell must rush home to Kansas to take care of his brother, Ben.

Russell’s mother has died, turning his life upside-down. Ben is mentally disabled and now needs Russell’s help in order to function. Any change to routine is unacceptable and upsets Ben a great deal. Will Russell cope?

When You Were Older is a moving story set in a time Russell Ammiano is rushing to get ready and out through the door to go to work on September 11th 2011 when a phone call saves his life. As tragedy strikes New York, Russell must rush home to Kansas to take care of his brother, Ben.

Russell’s mother has died, turning his life upside-down. Ben is mentally disabled and now needs Russell’s help in order to function. Any change to routine is unacceptable and upsets Ben a great deal. Will Russell cope?

When You Were Older is a moving story set in a time when America was on edge and afraid. The unimaginable events of September 11th, combined with the death of a mother and the needs of a young man, set the scene in this thought-provoking novel.

As I’ve come to expect with books from Catherine Ryan Hyde, this story deals with issues that aren’t always easy to deal with - A young man brain-damaged and unable to cope with everyday life on his own; his brother who has drop everything to look after him; interracial and interfaith relationships; then there’s the after-effects of such a catastrophic event that changed the whole mood and rationalism of an entire nation.

When You Were Older is a story of love. Not just of Russell’s love for Anat who works at the local bakery and serves him coffee & donuts, but of the love of two siblings who could barely be more different.

I fell in love with the two main characters of the book and will miss them now it’s finished. Russell’s whole life is turned upside down and things just seem to go from bad to worse for him. He could take the easy way out, but instead he gains the strength to take on responsibilities beyond many people and to help those in need, despite struggling himself. Then there’s Ben... Ben isn’t the easiest person to live with and we learn, through a look back at their childhood, that he wasn’t always the nicest person either. However, Ben’s love for his little brother shines through and we learn that even when somebody is bad, there’s a nice person fighting to get out.

I read When You Were Older in a couple of sittings which had me reading late into the night as I didn’t want to put it down. The story is well paced and had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Catherine Ryan Hyde has certainly captured the atmosphere of post-September 11th, small town America in which emotions are volatile and frightened, ignorant people turn on and assume immigrant people to be something they are not.

When You Were Older will stir emotions and I think it will be one of those stories that stay with the reader for a while. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to other readers. Yet again, Catherine Ryan Hyde has raised the bar!

WARNING: When You Were Older will have you craving donuts! I’m wheat intolerant and shouldn’t go near donuts, but this book had me craving them. Just a plain sugary donut would have done... I have a feeling donut sales will rise during the first week of release! ...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Karen rated it it was amazing

This is the first book by this author that I have read and I loved it. Russell and Ben are brothers but are so different. Ben is the older by six years however because of brain damage, he is childlike and has to follow a certain daily routine. When Russell returns home to arrange his mother's funeral and to care for Ben, because no-one else will, without any guidance he has to devise his own `manual' on how to deal with Ben's tantrums and difficulties. The frustrations felt by Russell are though ...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: female-author, 2012, may-12

Jun 11, 2012 Lisa marked it as to-read

Shelves: wishlist

May 29, 2019 Cara rated it liked it

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