The Wind Blows Backward by Mary Downing Hahn
Reviewed by: Elizabeth Anderson, Communications Assistant
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Suggested Age: Tweens, Teens
What is the book about?: Lauren and Spencer used to be close friends who enjoyed reading books together. Then Spencer changed and started hanging out with a more popular crowd. Now he has withdrawn from that crowd and focused his attention on Lauren again. Are his sentiments sincere? What is he hiding? What is the source of his brooding moods?
My Review: This book is a classic exploration of teenage feelings and dynamics. There’s romance, parental tension, and a pinch of angst. Hahn does a good job of being true to these experiences while weaving a story that is engaging and characters that are endearing and fairly believable. That being said, I did think that Lauren was a bit slow to catch on to a few really big red flags about Spencer’s mental health, but that’s a bit of a nitpick on my part. This book illustrates a loyalty that extends deeper than infatuation, and while it is made clear that Spencer is an “attractive” person, this book isn’t just surface level “girl hooks up with hot guy” fare. It has intimacy, but no raunchiness. It is tasteful and classy without being preachy or prudish. It’s basically real people with typical human drives and concerns, and I think Hahn does an excellent job of writing these things in a way that is fair and appropriate for a teenage audience. If you enjoy Hahn’s “slice of life” types of books, this one is worth reading, especially if you want some 90’s throwback, which I did.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Suicide, Tension, Misunderstanding
Give This a Try if You Like… Daphne’s Book by Mary Downing Hahn, The Two Sisters by Honor Arundel
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.