The Boy In The Black Suit

In "The Boy in the Black Suit", Matt, a senior in high school, struggles to come to terms with his mother's death. Left to fend for himself, while his father drinks to deal with the loss, Matt finds that he has too much time on his hands. Mr. Ray offers Matt a job working in his funeral home. Matt finds comfort in attending funerals and ends up wearing a black suit to school everyday. There is a predictable pattern to the funerals until Lovey shows up.

Will Lovey help Matt through his grief so that he can reconnect to the world? Will Matt's father ever step up to be the parent Matt needs him to be? Read "The Boy in the Black Suit" to find out.

Matt is a conscientious person. I know this because of the fact that he worked hard at school and is able to get out of school early his senior year. He doesn't hang out with trouble makers. He also makes sure to pay back Jimmy, the store owner, for the sub sandwiches that he bought on credit.

When I was reading about how Matt felt when his mom died, it made me think about when my own mom died. Although I was 30 and not 17, I still had some of the same feelings of disconnecting with the world. I also felt like my friends didn't really understand what I was going through because none of them had lost their mom.

A few people in the crowd shouted, "It's okay!" But it is really wasn't. I knew that she knew that, more than anyone else in the room. Robbie Ray came over to help her, and he held her close while she stumbled and wept through the rest of her speech. After than --- and this may sound weird--- I felt satisfied. (Reynolds 27)

I chose this quote from "The Boy in The Black Suit" because it explains why Matt feels drawn to attending funerals of people he doesn't know. After his mother dies, Matt has a hard time connecting with other people. He goes to funerals because these are people who he can connect with because they too have lost someone they loved. They make him feel less alone in his grief.

One of my favorite moments in the book is when Matt sees Lovey at her grandmother's funeral. Usually there is a moment in a funeral where the person who was closest to the deceased person breaks down. Lovey never does and this really puzzles Matt. He really wants to speak to Lovey and learn how she can be so strong. Matt's thoughts about Lovey increase the tension in the story. I wanted to read on to find out how Matt would be able to talk Lovey and to find out if she would be able to help Matt.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever struggled after losing someone that they have loved. Going through Matt's journal would help someone to understand how grieving can really be healing. This book would also appeal to people who enjoy books about friendship. Matt has several great friends in this book, particularly his unlikely friendship with the funeral home director, Mr. Ray.

All in all, I would say this was an extremely well written book that is full of emotions.