January Man

What interests me the most about this book so far is how complex the first chapter is. There is a lot going on in just a handful of pages.

It seems obvious that Jason's parents do not have a happy relationship. When I read the lines about Jason and Julia being forbidden to go into their father's office, I thought very little of it. I suppose I brushed it off because I didn't really know their ages and I just assumed that he didn't want his children meddling with things. The one line that became my oh wow moment was when the family was eating dinner. After Michael presses his children with "Have either of you been in my office," he goes on to explain that they shouldn't be answering the phone even if it rings forever; they are to unplug the telephone cord. This line follows, "Mum was just sitting there. It didn't feel at all right." For me, this was the moment where I realized that something was greatly amiss in the household. Michael is keeping secrets from his family.

Jason is also keeping secrets from his family, but these are the types of white-lies that youth often feel they need to hide from their parents. Jason does not mention that he has been to the lake. What I find interesting about this is that when Jason returns to the lake, he gets hurt and ends up in the sour aunt's house. Because Jason was not forthcoming with information about his whereabouts during dinner, it seems unlikely that his parents will know where to look for him (as, at the end of the first chapter, it seems as though the sour aunt is holding in captive in her home).

Because of these complexities (and the cliffhanger at the end of the first chapter), I feel pushed to read on. It's important for me that the initial chapter of a novel capture my interest and set up some sort of plot complication. I feel Mitchell does this well. I'm not sure where the story is going to head at all, but I'm eager to stick with it and find out.

I do have a few guesses, however. This is a coming-of-age-story and I feel that Jason will eventually have to deal with his home life. I'm certain that the parents will separate at some point. I also feel that Jason will have to deal with some sort of sexual questions. He certainly mentions "sexual intercourse" quite a bit, but I'm also interested in his homophobic speech. For me, that was a red flag that issues of sexuality might be discussed.

Other things (like Jason's inner voices) intrigue me. So does his interest in poetry. I'm not certain what to make of it. Any thoughts?