38/100

The Hour I First Believed: A Novel by Wally Lamb

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have to start by saying I LOVE Wally Lamb. His novels are some of my favorites, and a new one has been a long time coming. With that being said, this book was my least favorite of his three.



I took this book on a trip with me as the only book I was bringing, so I first looked at the reviews to make sure I would like it. I couldn't agree more with the person who said the book completely changed when it hit page 400. In the first 400 pages, a huge focus was on Columbine and its effects on its victims, including the main character, Caelum's wife, Maureen. Although Maureen did not actually get shot, she suffers terrible Post Traumatic Stress from the ordeal.



Once page 400 comes around, a whole new story begins about Caelum's family history. To be honest, the story within a story is my least favorite part of all Wally Lamb novels. I found myself disinterested in the back story. The names (Lily, Lydia, Lizzie) were also confusing and hard to keep track of. After this point in the story, there were just far too many things going on at once. The book was still engaging, but not as good as it could have been. Despite not loving the book, I will still be a dedicated Wally Lamb fan.


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