Reviewed by Cheryl
TITLE: The Story of Us 
AUTHOR: Barbara Elsborg
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 353 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2018
BLURB:
Two boys. One love. Ten summers.
Are you okay?
The first words Zed says to Caspian, and the first time someone has cared about the answer. On a hot summer’s day, the lives of two boys are changed forever. A rebel and a risk taker, Caspian doesn’t give a damn for the consequences. Studious and obedient, Zed is the good boy who is never good enough.
The two couldn’t be more different, but there’s one thing they share, a need to belong to someone who understands them, someone who cares. Their friendship goes deeper than either can possibly imagine. They’re young, in love, and planning their future when an act of betrayal tears them apart.
Fate has dealt its hand. Seasons pass. Zed’s words follow Caspian through pain, fear and into the darkest of places.
REVIEW:
This was one heck of a book, spanning ten summers in the lives of two boys, who were aged fourteen and fifteen at the start of the book, although it skips summers four to eight for reasons you will discover when you read the book. The story follows the two boys from their first meeting when they were both trapped in difficult situations. Caspian is about to be send to a sever boarding school by a controlling father after he is expelled from school again. Zed, on the other had in a super-good boy but even so is physically abused by his father on a regular basis. Over that first summer they form a bond that will last for the rest of their lives (or at least until the end of the book)
At first. I thought it would be difficult and disconcerting to be essentially jumping a year (or four years) at a time, but the author does a good job of starting each summer with a significant event that draws back into the story immediately. The boys grow to be men through varied and radically different experiences. I don’t want to say too much because spoilers would be unfair in a story where so much happens and is heavy stuff. Suffice to say there was a lot going on and some of it wasn’t good. Both had difficult time
I was very impressed that the author wasn’t afraid to take some controversial issues and I’m pretty sure someone will be offended, but that’s their problem because it means they’ve missed the point one way or another. Yes, perhaps there is a little stereotyping at one or two points, but the truth is that shit happens and in order to become a stereotype there has to be a pattern of behaviour. The only thing that annoys me is that some of the wrongdoers get away with it.
The characterisation is absolutely spot on in both the good guys and the bad buys. All are flawed in one way or another and all grow though their experiences and are consistent and stay true to themselves. I particularly liked some of the characters that were introduced in the latter part of the book, who were given plenty of time to reveal themselves naturally and to develop.
Yes, I would have liked some more of what went on in between the summers, and yes, the time jumps are sometimes a little jarring, but the story is engaging and fluent and its faults forgivable.
On the whole, I think Caspian has the words to it, which is ironic as he started in a much better (objectively) position. He also takes the longest to get over his trials and there were times when I didn’t think they would end up together at all. Indeed, there were times in both lives when I wasn’t sure they would survive at all.
I loved the way the book ended. The pace and the way the treads all led to the inevitable conclusions were entirely on point and although I wouldn’t say the book was light reading, it certainly wasn’t as heavy as some of its subject matter might have called for. It’s a friendly book and it very much had the feel of a good, solid young adult classic even though thy aged out of young adult by the end.
I absolutely recommend this for someone who like a bit more story and plenty of action.
RATING: 
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