The Book Nook

Clever Coming-of-Age Story   A common literary theme is that of the everyman, a universal idea found in most cultures.  These individuals work hard, lead simple lives and crave a sense of enjoyment and belonging.  They’re usually put in unusual situations and do their best to survive. Such is the case with the protagonist in Gabriel Bump’s first novel “Everywhere You Don’t Belong”, which was published in 2020.  Claude McKay Love is a teenager who, like many people, just wants to fit in.  His goal is made more elusive due to abandonment issues, unwanted violence and pressure from multiple sources about how to live his life. Claude shares the characteristics of this archetype – he’s a genuine person with simple tastes who accepts others easily.  He’s democratic but not necessarily political.  He’s willing to compromise in order to start and maintain relationships.  He also longs to be part of something larger than himself. Like most everyman models, he’s distrustful of authority and the setting of Chicago’s south side plays a role in explaining his distrust.  Claude’s major complaint is that people and other valuable things in his life leave in a hurry.  The heartbreaking abandonment by his parents plays a pivotal part in why he seeks others to fill the gaps in his life. There’s his grandmother with her never-ending supply of understated retorts and her expectation that he become a principled person who changes the world.  To that end, she imbues him with her civil rights-era attitude, claiming she’s always seen something special in him.  Another figure in Claude’s life is his grandmother’s friend Paul - a bereft man with who suffers from ongoing romantic disasters and strong, sometimes strange opinions that he frequently shares with Claude.  Or whoever will listen. These sentiments are often unhelpful as Claude navigates the troubles of young love, bullies and racism.  He feels less of a loner after befriending a girl named Janice, but his relationship with her will not always go the way he wants.  Another influence comes from Jonah – a new kid in the neighborhood who’s a true basketball star.  Jonah provides a protective friendship that offers Claude experiences that he might have otherwise missed. The book opens with an absurd fight between Claude’s father and one of his neighbors.  The scene serves to familiarize readers with his family’s peculiarities.  The fight is about which city is the real mecca of basketball - Chicago or New York.  It’s a funny scene that sets a preposterous and amusing tone that continues to the end. Claude’s grandmother is the one constant force in his world and she’s worried about the pressure put on young people to join a gang.  She comments that while that life seems attractive and lucrative, it would likely mean either an early death or being forever chained to the area.  And while Claude loves his community he does want to leave, especially after a clash bring violence into his neighborhood with devastating results.  Witnessing senseless acts of brutality and destruction leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.  Losing someone he knows increases the urgency he feels to move. He doesn’t want race to define his life as he chases elusive connections with and affection from other people.  He secretly applies to a college in a neighboring state but is disappointed when reality falls far short of his expectations.  After joining the student newspaper, a series of incidents makes him realize the school’s promises were hollow. An unexpected visitor brings danger along with the motivation and opportunity Claude needs to leave his past behind.  The ending is tense and dramatic with an interesting twist. The plot is based on current events and addresses issues in a straight-forward and original way.  Bump’s social commentary is simultaneously raw and polished, funny and heart-rending.  While many of the story’s events are sobering, it’s presented with sharp and irreverent humor that hits the mark.  The author makes excellent use of speech tags and gives readers a very distinctive and immediate voice. Clause has a low-key personality and is put in the role of a straight man who’s frequently thrust into violent situations.  His character is wonderfully real and the plot is a strange mixture of terror and comedy that somehow works.   Another winning combination is direct prose filled with subtlety in this very short and powerful read. Gabriel Bump grew up in South Shore, Chicago and received and MFA in fiction from the University of Massachusetts.  “Everywhere You Don’t Belong” won several awards, including the New York Times Notable Book of 2020.  He’s currently teaching at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This popular debut offers a fresh and humorous handling of current social issues that will appeal to fans of coming-of-age novels, contemporary or humorous fiction and anyone who’s ever felt excluded.