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    The Boy in the Black Suit
    The Boy in the Black Suit
    The Boy in the Black Suit
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Boy in the Black Suit

    Written by Jason Reynolds

    Narrated by Corey Allen

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can't handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who's dealt with a lot more-and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down-in this wry, gritty novel from the author of When I Was the Greatest. Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died-although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can't handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad's snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt's snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. She's got a crazy name, and she's been through more crazy than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She's tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he's drawn to her, and definitely why he can't seem to shake her. Because there's nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness-and who can maybe even help take it away.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 6, 2015
    ISBN9781490658124
    Author

    Jason Reynolds

    A poet An artist One black One white Two voices One journey Jason Reynolds & Jason Griffin are superheroes.

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    Reviews for The Boy in the Black Suit

    4.5/5

    38 ratings6 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This novel is by the same author as When I Was the Greatest. Matthew feels that life is backward--everything changed overnight, and he feels now that typical life for a teenager is unimportant. He matures instantly. School holds little interest and takes up very little time in the book. The book isn’t about Matthew and his relationship with his friends and how he tries to fit in after the turn in his life. This novel is about Matthew, about loss, about life, and about taking responsibility for those around you--it’s about maturity.Matthew’s mother died of breast cancer, and now life is empty. His father decides drinking is his best friend, leaving Matt alone. Looking for food, because his father certainly isn’t going to bring any home, Matt goes to Cluck Bucket, his favorite food place. Two important events occur here. He meets up with Mr. Ray, his neighbor, who offers him a job at the funeral home; and, he meets the girl at the counter. Mr. Ray takes Matt under his wing to help him through this difficult time, both as an employer and a friend, for Mr. Ray knows about loss and living. Matt’s best friend, Chris, makes brief appearances as the “best friend” character, but he holds little relevance compared to Mr. Ray. Attending funerals helps Matthew deal with death because he feels a connection with others whose lives have been turned upside down and they are grieving as he is. He needs this connection, so he actually likes his job. Eventually, he meets the girl from Cluck Bucket and is able to take what Mr. Ray has taught and learn from her as well. Her life has required her to grow up quickly as well.A serious novel, The Boy in the Black Suit, takes place in New York, so it would be termed urban lit although it’s much more tame. The author lives in the area about which he writes, so it’s realistic fiction. I liked it. If you liked Crossover, I think you’ll like this as well, although sports play absolutely no role in this novel.
    • 4/5
      A really fresh voice and great characters! Loved this one!
    • 4/5
      I love all the work that Jason Reynolds is doing. Although I love When I Was the Greatest more than this newer one, this is still a good story. Matt, who has just lost his mom, ends up working at the local funeral home. And there's a girl, of course.
    • 4/5
      The Boy in the Black Suit is a book with two rather distinct halves. First, we meet the narrator, Matthew Miller. He's a teenage boy in Brooklyn whose mother died a few months before the book begins. His father, who hasn't had a drink in years, is turning back to alcoholism to cope. Matthew gets a part time job working for a funeral home, where he finds a curious comfort in watching other people go through the same loss that he went through. Then his father is hit by a car, and will have to spend weeks in the hospital and rehab before he can come home. So Matthew is all alone in his house, coping with terrible loss. His only real friends, his buddy Chris - best friends since childhood, and his boss, Mr. Ray, who runs the funeral home, and is "looking out" for Matthew while his father is in the hospital.Then, halfway through the book, there is a shift. At one funeral, Matthew meets Love (that's her real name), and he's smitten. The book moves then into his attempts to get over his shyness and ask Love out. Love, it turns out, has her own terrible loss and grief that she is dealing with, and the two find a connection. Love enables Matthew to finally begin to move past the loss of his mother and begin to live again.The first half of the book was better than the second half, but it was still very good.
    • 4/5
      A poignant, realistic, affecting story with some nice doses of humor.
    • 5/5
      This is the story of Matthew and how he came to terms with his mother’s death from breast cancer while still in high school. He found comfort working part-time in the neighborhood funeral home. He also met Love, the girl of his dreams, while dealing with his father’s grief as well. This is an engaging story of Matt coming to terms with death but embracing life at the same time.