Hi friends, happy Wednesday, I hope you’re all doing well. Today I’m posting my review of Jay Coles’ novel Tyler Johnson Was Here.

Tyler Johnson Was Here by: Jay Coles: After a party gone wrong, Marvin’s twin brother, Tyler, is discovered missing. Marvin does everything in his power to find him and bring him home. But when all his efforts turn up nothing, is when Tyler is located. Now all Marvin wants is justice and for his brother to be remembered as the kind, loving human being that he was. This novel was really heavy, but also really important. The content of this novel wasn’t anything new, but is something that should still be read until things in society change, until there is no more police brutality. What made this different, was the approach the author took to tell the story. This really focused on the black experience and what it means and feels to be black in America. The reader could, unfortunately, tell where the story was going to go, but this story was less about what actually happened and more about how it affected the main character. The story moved at a good pace and held important messages throughout. It read as a good reminder that this world is still not equal. Moving beyond the harder, and more intense plots, there were softer and loving ones in between to balance the story out nicely. The reader found they were moving through the novel quite quickly because the writing was really good. The way Coles wrote about grief felt real and raw and truly captured the emotions well. The characters felt genuine and for the most part they were really developed. The main character evolved a lot throughout the course of this novel. Watching him grow and become a different version of himself, one that puts himself first was beautiful to see. Some of the secondary characters felt a little underdeveloped because they just felt like they were added to fill the world in, rather than to improve or move the plot. The reader couldn’t stand the principal character; as an educator, the way he treated Marvin was so inexcusable. His character felt a little extreme, but the reader is very aware that there are people just like him in the education system and it’s just so disheartening. The reader did like the lesson that Marvin ended up taking away from everything and the way this ended felt hopeful for a better future, for not only himself, but also for the world. This was a well written novel that is highly recommended.