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Julie’s dad died three years ago, and ever since, she’s mostly been going through the motions. She’s still grieving but figures everyone thinks she should be past it by now. But she can’t help going into her dad’s closet and sitting and trying to smell him. She can’t help the constant hole in her heart. And she hasn’t gotten rid of the constant commentary of the Masked Man in her head. The professional wrestler who was her dad’s favorite has long been retired from the ring, but he talks to her constantly.
Nearing the end of her senior year, Julie is facing the proverbial whole life ahead of her. But she’s just wondering how to live a normal life without the grief running things. Can she move forward? And if she does, what does that mean?
When a teacher gives her a push to do something different by putting her on the prom-planning committee, Julie makes some new friends. In particular, she gains a new best friend, Briar, who seems pretty different from her. But they click and end up hanging out a lot. This is a second friend in addition to Max, her longtime best friend, the son of her parents’ best friends. All of a sudden, her life actually does start to change, and it leads her to some new experiences and things to ponder.
And eventually, she may even be able to let go of that voice in her head.
Dispatches from Parts Unknown is absolutely delightful, especially for a book that’s almost exclusively about grief. It took me a while to get to: it was downloaded on my Kindle and when I finished another book on a flight, I went to it. I’m so glad I did. I had no idea what I was getting into after requesting it a year ago from Netgalley, and when I opened to the first page and saw a glossary of pro wrestling terms, I thought twice about it, honestly. But the author’s note at the beginning encouraged me to read on.
Julie’s voice is so real and relatable, as a teenage girl who’s not maybe a typical teen girl. She loves pro wrestling and Orange Julius. She keeps to herself and otherwise talks to her mom and her best friend. The voice of the pro wrestler is pretty entertaining, and Julie’s reactions to his commentary can be entertaining as well. I got such a kick out of Julie’s whole experience with prom and first dates and kisses. And how she feels about her mom’s boyfriend, a wheatgrass-drinking, yoga-retreat fanatic, who’s friendly and nice but kind of vacuous, is always on point. Her relationship with her mom is sweet and tender, as they’re navigating this huge loss together.
You may be surprised that a book all about grief — and healing — could be so poignant, laugh-out-loud funny, and, yes, FULL of pro wrestling references (and HEART! IYKYK). But it is. And I recommend it. You will be charmed.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes around 100 instances of moderate profanity, 50 uses of mild language, and about 40 instances of the name of Deity in vain. (A lot of the moderate uses involve one particular pro wrestling term.) Sexual content includes kissing, making-out, some references to a character having had sex, and an otherwise innocuous gathering where an adult character puts up balloons in the shape of male anatomy.
Click here to purchase your copy of Dispatches from Parts Unknown on Amazon.
*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
