Review: "Dear Evan Hansen," by Val Emmich

Dear Evan Hansen, the award-winning Broadway musical, was transitioned into novel format and, as someone who lives nowhere near New York and can't see the show personally, I really liked reading the story behind the music! To be fair, I've had the soundtrack for a while and love it, and reading this book made me hear the music in a new way. Evan is starting his senior year with a broken arm and a lot of anxiety. His therapist encourages him to write daily letters to himself to affirm that today will be a good day. After a troubling encounter with the school bully, Connor, Evan writes an honest letter to himself about how he wishes everything was different. Unfortunately for Evan, Connor grabs the letter from the printer before Evan can get to it. Connor takes the letter with him and also writes his name in huge letters across Evan's cast. The next day, Connor has committed suicide and Evan's letter appears to be his suicide note. Instead of making sure everyone understands the truth about the letter, Evan rolls with it, making it seem as if he and Connor were secret best friends. He invents various email exchanges between the two of them and becomes very friendly with Connor's parents and sister, Zoe. How long will he be able to keep the lie going?

Mrs. Denney's Rating: ***

#review #music #school #friendship #suicide