The Size of the Truth by Andrew SmithMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
According to Goodreads, this is to be the first in a new series centered on Sam, "the Abernathy," that ever-excitable, wriggly little dude from Stand Off who, let's be honest, stole the show for me. So I'm glad that Andrew Smith is finally giving him the backstory he deserves - and while the content is a little toned down for middle-grade audiences, it's still recognizably an Andrew Smith novel, weird and (excuse me) smartassed as hell. And unpredictable too, because where the story goes, you can't quite see it coming. Maybe you can - and there's still some reveals that I'm headcanoning to the point where I'd fully expect them to appear in any sequels that Smith writes - but the greatest unpredictability of this book is how much it dives into challenging toxic masculinity. Perhaps a little heavy for MG readers? Well, then again, this is from the guy who literally Keeps YA Weird with such gross and thought-provoking reads as Grasshopper Jungle and Rabbit & Robot. If there's a sequel, I'd hope it picks up Sam's story from where he left off in Stand Off - and that, dear God, those ridiculous parents of his get some much-needed comeuppance for being so overly controlling (perhaps my greatest trigger, tbh.)
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