Calling all literary, angst-ridden teenagers: read immediately. ( )

Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com

James Svek doesn't really fit in. He isn't interested in the same things as other eighteen-year-old guys, doesn't even like people his age, and even keeps his family at a distance.

Nobody could blame James for being detached from his family. His father is a bit self-absorbed and seems to feel obligated to spend the little time he does with James. James' mother owns an art gallery and has just returned early from her honeymoon. Her third marriage has ended almost as quickly as it began. And James' older sister, Gillian, is enmeshed in her own life, and an affair with a married professor. Even the family dog seems to feel superior to James. The only family member James admires is his grandmother who is supportive and understanding, even if she is a bit eccentric herself. The only other person that James admires is John, who works with him at his mother's gallery.

James is a contemplative young man whose views on the world around him aren't always congruent with popular opinion. He sees the world with a mix of ironic humor and disdain. Although he isn't an "angry" teenager, James has distanced himself from the people and things that surround him.

Now James' life is getting complicated. He has been accepted to Brown University but he has decided that he doesn't want to go to college. He would rather buy an old house in the Midwest and live in obscurity. His parents have sent him to a shrink, one who annoyingly answers every question with a question. He has just ruined what friendship he had with John. And why are his parents now asking him if he's gay?

SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU is a smart, funny story about the pain that comes with growing up and becoming your own person. James is a highly likeable character whose views on the world and himself are refreshing and insightful.

This is a book that is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who reads it. ( )

He's smart, witty, gay & unable to connect with the world. James's family is SO dysfunctional...almost a stereotype. James is hard to figure out and in the long run, I didn't care about him very much. The adult in me just wanted to tell him to "grow up". ( )

Firstly, I read this book in one evening. Which should not suggest that it's facile, but rather that it's engaging. This book was a pleasure to read! There's more I could and should say, but I won't. This book is for people who are interested in the interior. ( )

James lives in New York City. His parents are divorced, and he lives with his mother and older sister. His only friends are his grandmother and the man who runs his mother's art gallery. His dysfunctinal family and uncertainty about the future combine with his loneliness to cause problems. ( )

When eighteen year old James Sveck announces that he will most likely be forgoing his upcoming entrance to Brown University to instead pursue a piece of land not yet purchased in the Midwest, his well heeled New York City family protests. His flighty, thrice married, thrice divorced mother is only interested to the point of insisting that he subscribe to the services of the family shrink. His Partner’s Club dinning father, voices repeatedly that he will be throwing his life away by shirking his academic responsibility. His older sister, halfway through Barnard and dating a married man, lectures him on his stupidity. His therapist, recommended by his mother, simply parrots the wishes of his family. His only solace is found in his feisty grandmother and an older coworker at his mother’s gallery.

Peter Cameron’s Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You is an elegantly crafted tribute to the ever-growing stack of quarter-life crisis accounts in American literature. While the theme is not new (the book has received some serious flack for drawing on the likes of Catcher In the Rye), it is far from a mundane, rehashed storyline. Written from a teen view but not necessarily the voice of teen aged America (in fact, James will tell you that his position is exactly the opposite) the book superbly articulates the fluidity and uncertainty affixed to coming of age.

I found myself cringing when I read other reviewers’ descriptions of James’s deep queries as “too adult”. I find that young adults are often far more elegant in their searching than we give them credit for, perhaps because of, not in spite of, their youth. As we age, much like the secondary adults in Cameron’s tale, we lose the ability to question, to act out, to rise above or sidestep authority.

While it is billed as a young adult novel, the story touches on points that are relevant throughout life making it accessible and agreeable to a wide reading audience. If more young adult literature followed Cameron’s lead, I think I would find myself a bigger fan of the genre. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You may be small in size but its impact is nothing less than powerful and is one that should, without a doubt, make its way to your summer reading pile. ( )

Richie's Picks: SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU by Peter Cameron, FSG/Frances Foster books, October 2007, ISBN: 0-374-30989-2

"I want somebody who sees the pointlessness
And still keeps their purpose in mind
I want somebody who has a tortured soul
Some of the time
I want somebody who will either put out for me
Or put me out of misery
Or maybe just put it all to words
And make me say, you know
I never heard it put that way
Make me say, what did you just say?"
--Ani Difranco "Asking Too Much"

"She kept her hand there, covering my mouth, for a long moment. And then she took it away. 'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I shouldn't have -- it's just that --' " 'No,' I said. 'It's true.'
" 'What's true?' my mother asked.
" 'I am disturbed,' I said. I thought about what the word meant, what it really means to be disturbed, like how a pond is disturbed when you throw a rock into it or how you disturb the peace. Or how you can be disturbed by a book or movie or the burning rain forest or the melting ice caps. Or the war in Iraq. It was one of those moments when you feel you have never heard the word before, and you cannot believe it means what it means, and you think how did this word come to mean that? It seemed like a bell or something, shining and pure, disturbed, disturbed, disturbed, I could hear it pealing with its true meaning, and I said, as if I had just realized it, 'I am disturbed.' "

We regularly encounter a multitude of great YA characters about whom we might easily find consensus in proclaiming each as being disturbed. What makes for an interesting YA character if not the fact that he or she is disturbed? But it is a far rarer occasion when I fall in love with a particular disturbed YA character for his or her unique observations and insights.

When a character is especially successful at revealing a totally new way of looking at things, we are often so surprised and delighted that we find humor in that character's insights. YOU DON'T KNOW ME by David Klass remains one of my absolute all-time favorites because of John's abilities in this regard. Last year's Tom Henderson (aka KING DORK) captured my fancy for the same reason. And, of course, the universal appeal of SPEAK stems in large measure from Melinda's wry observations about her peers and teachers. That these characters are seriously disturbed only adds to the humor we find in their surprising insights.

"I knew my mother was right, but that didn't change the way I felt about things. People always think that if they can prove they're right, you'll change your mind."

The newest character to thoroughly captivate me with his insight is eighteen-year-old Manhattanite James Dufour Sveck:

"When we were young, Gillian and I used to play a game called Mental Asylum. Gillian was the doctor and I was the patient and she would administer shock treatment to me. She'd anoint my temples with a cotton ball dabbed with Listerine, shove her field hockey mouth guard into my mouth, and then clamp the stereo headphones on me. When she plugged the cord into the stereo I would go stiff and cross my eyes and tremble epileptically and Gillian would hold me down and say 'ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.' It's odd what facets of life children incorporate into their play. I started to think about this, about how we wanted to assume the dreariest aspects of adult life: playing office, playing store, playing mental asylum, when I once again became aware that Dr. Adler was saying something."

James has been persuaded to begin sessions with Dr. Adler due to his being disturbed and, especially, in light of what happened back in April. It was then that James was one of the two New York State delegates to the week-long "seminar thing in Washington, D.C.," called The American Classroom. It is now the summer between high school and college, and James is at the point that he wants to forego college and find a little old house in the Midwest where he can be away from people and play little house on the prairie with a stack of great books for accompaniment.

What did happen in D.C. and how did James get to the point he is now at?

Kudos to the art director for a cover that motivated me to pluck this book from the huge pile and caused me to know James Dufour Sveck. In SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU, author Peter Cameron has written a compelling and hopeful tale for high school-age kids about a teen you've really got to meet.

Richie Partington
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
Moderator, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_...
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
http://www.myspace.com/richiespicks ( )

I listened to the audiobook version of this, and it never captured my attention. James just annoyed me, and I felt it hard to feel for him. While very little happened in the story, the ending felt rushed and pat, as if the author also got a little bored. ( )

Susan says: This is a funny, witty, painful book about growing up and becoming an adult, and how those things aren't always what they are cracked up to be. James is spending the summer before his freshman year of college at Brown deciding not to go to college because he doesn't like people his age, among other things. His divorced, wealthy parents give him little guidance other than what serves themselves. He works at his mother's art gallery which rarely has any customers, giving him way too much time to navelgaze. This book has a lot of interesting characters and thoughtful observations. Unfortunately, its cerebral humor and plot are not going to appeal to the majority of teen readers. James is gay, but spends a lot of time in the book ducking the question, which might either reassure or alienate gay readers. ( )

James Sveck is not really happy, not really sure of his future, wonders how he fits in. This 18 year old New Yorker has the summer to figure some things out. His parents are pressuring him to go to college, but he's been obsessively looking at houses in small towns in the Midwest. College is a terrifying prospect–James doesn't understand kids his own age. He's in (not very helpful) therapy because of an incident he sees as no big deal, and he spends most of his time visiting his grandmother and secretly admiring the manager of his mother's art gallery. Join James on this journey of figuring out who he is and what's next in his amusing, but agonizing summer. ( )

I bought this book for the interesting title. I didn't think I liked the book at first. By the end I didn't want to leave the 18 year old main character, James. Throughout the book we peer in to James' messy, confused and angst ridden life. Why doesn't someone just step in and help him? Of course, no one can really help a teenager get through this time in life. It's part of becoming the adult of your future. ( )

Cameron's book is truly a fantastic book. Not only is the story well done, but the writing is brilliant. Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You is the story of James, an 18 year old boy trying to figure out, well, life. He's not sure he wants to go to college, he's not really sure about much of anything, except that he wants to be alone and he hates people his own age. Cameron handles everything perfectly -- the several time married mother, the distant and yet controlling father, the implied crush on the older coworker, and the love that James is seeking without really knowing it. I say perfectly because he manages to capture how our lives (the lives of the family, of teenagers, of college students, of everyone) are not perfect at all. James' view is one that anyone can relate too, not just teens. This isn't just because he's such a universal character in many ways, it's also because Cameron proves to be a sublime writer. James is smarter than many people (perhaps smarter than we are) and while in many books (YA or otherwise) this would be a turn off, it's the opposite. James doesn't lord it over his readers, just the people he encounters. And often, it's not even on purpose. While this book isn't about me, reading it I felt it had been written for me. It's an incredibly emotional (and emotionally driven) story about what it's like to grow up when you're already halfway there. ( )

URis
PZ7.C14347; Som 2007

James, an 18 year old intelletually precocious New Yorker, can't seem to find his place in the world.
He doesn't want to go to Brown and says, "I can't bear the idea of spending four years in close proximity with college students." James is unhappy, and isn't close to anyone except his grandmother. He explores some of his feelings in therapy,and we get to witness his sessions with Dr. Adler.
James is confused about his sexual orientation, and how his life will come together.
This is a funny, witty,sometimes painful coming of age novel. ( )

I did not like Catcher in the Rye. Not the first time I read it (in high school) and not the second time (in my 20s). And this book is little more than Catcher in the Rye updated for the 21st century. Except they still use words like "faggy".

James, which at least is a better name than Holden, has not been kicked out of school, but has just graduated from high school and is considering not going to college, although he's scheduled to begin at Brown in the fall. Aside from a somewhat meaningless job, he spends his time being introspective and disaffected, and seems determined to remain so. He does strange, antisocial things for no apparent reason and with no apparent thought of the consequences and then not quite understanding why people are upset about what he did.

I can't quite put my finger on why I had a problem with this book, or why I don't like Catcher in the Rye. I guess characters who know they're acting in an asocial way and refuse to acknowledge why other people might think they're a little strange just bother me. It's fine to be asocial, but a character (at least an intelligent character, as both James and Holden are supposed to be), ought to have enough insight to understand that they're outside the norm, which is going to be troubling to some people. ( )

I'm not sure what to think of this book. The main character was funny at times and certainly interesting. He reminded me a great deal of my husband. The book however didn't seem to have a plot. It's more of a really long character sketch than a novel. Parts got very boring and tedious; especially the meetings with the psychiatrist. I don't think I'd recommend this book. ( )

I forgot all about this vacation read until I found it in a bag of books! I loved it! You can tell from the cover and the title that it's going to be a great teen read. But it wasn't what I expected. James Sveck has issues. His family is strange and uncaring. He doesn't really want to go to college, even though he's already been accepted to Brown. He loves visiting his grandmother, even though everyone else thinks he's weird. He gets into trouble a lot. Think about Holden Caulfield and you get a good picture of what kind of person James is. He is so disappointed in our world, and has good reason to be. But don't give up on James. ( )

This book caught me eye during a YALSA program during the ALA Midwinter 2008 in Philadelphia. Mainly because the cover and description were somewhat vague as to the struggles of the main character. Wondering if maybe it was a young adult GLBT title (which I've never really read before) I was intrigued. The title did not disappoint. Other than having somewhat crappy names for the characters (I'm speaking of the sister's Professor boyfriend, who really shouldn't have been in the book at all), I really liked this book. It takes place in New York, and makes the probably mandatory 9/11 reference that all books being written at the time have to. Honestly, that doesn't go so much with the story. It's been compared to 'Catcher in the Rye.' James isn't Holden; he's way gayer, and that made it entertaining to read. When he talked about being on the bus and feeling so alone... I was that kid. This book is a good read for those of all ages, but obviously it's intended audience... GLBT young adults, are going to identify with something within these pages. ( )

I have enjoyed many of this author's books but this was simply his best. This character, along with his grandmother, are so adorable and so appealing (despite Jame's embarrassing faux pas). Don't miss this book. ( )

Really liked this book. Teenage male protagonist struggling with life in Manhattan. ( )

A friend recommended this and I ordered it from the library immediately. I suggest you do the same.

The narrator, James, is an eighteen-year-old alienated misfit from a wealthy family in New York. Don't let that description turn you off. I really liked this kid and his descriptions of the people around him. There are lots of novels about angsty teen outsiders, but this one didn't come off as pretentious or derivative.

James can't really relate to most people, but he isn't cruel or weird. He's just uncomfortable and disinterested. I can't really explain what I liked about this, but I read it in a two-hour binge when I was tired and it was well-past bedtime (check the timestamp on this post). I just couldn't stop reading it. I especially liked the semantic arguments James has with other people, most notably his therapist. It made sense for this character to really care about using the right words. I also liked all the art references in the book. James' mother owns a gallery, and three pivotal scenes take place in museums. It works.

Cameron, Peter. (2007). Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 240 pp. ISBN 0-374-30989-2 (Hardcover); 16.00

James Svek tries to be an island but people keep populating this plan. His father wants him to go to college and so does his mother, recently rid of her husband of 4 days. James tells his psychiatrist, Dr. Adler, that he has only two people with whom he enjoys speaking: his grandmother and John, manager of his mother's art gallery (now featuring decorated trashcans by an artist who refuses to take a name). James, however, violates John's privacy, so John abandons James. His grandmother is beginning the first of a series of soon to be fatal strokes. James is infuriating and real, brilliant and so unbelievably obtuse. On the one hand he longs to be noticed so that he won't die without anyone missing him and on the other hand he thinks that going unnoticed is very cool. James' exchanges with Rowena Adler are classic. Dr. Adler is certainly not perfect but her finger usually is on the pulse of James' problems and she does guide him into considering whether or not he truly wishes to be alone, an island. The writing is beautiful: “I didn't answer because it was suddenly clear to me, for a second or two, that part of this not wanting to go to college was simply a desire not to move forward, for I loved where I was at the moment, and felt that so surely and keenly: sitting there, in my grandmother's kitchen, drinking her freshly percolated coffee from coffee cups and not from cardboard cups with sippy lids, sitting in her perfectly ordered kitchen with the back door open so a bit of breeze moved through the house, and the electric clock above the sink humming quietly all night and all day, and the linoleum floor worn down from so many years of washing and scrubbing it was a smooth as leather, and my grandmother sitting across from me in her dress she had probably bought forty years ago and worn a thousand times since then, listening to me, seeming to accept me in a way that no one else did, and the safe summer Saturday occurring outside, all around us, the world not yet totally violated by stupidity and intolerance and hate." (p. 80). The ending isn't the way I would have written it, but it works.

the label as the "catcher in the rye" for generation X & Y is very apt. this book is crawling into my soul as we speak. i think i'm gonna have to buy this one for my shelf. ( )

Eighteen year-old James is a brilliant and troubled young man who thinks an escape to a mid-century house in middle-America will cure his ennui and discontented feelings about life in general. He is an obsessive linguist who beautifully sums up to his therapist his word usage compulsion and his false representation to a friend in an online posting in this way: "They're both about the correct or proper way to do something. there is a correct and proper way to use words and there is a correct and proper way to behave with other people. And I behaved improperly with John and feel bad, so I compensate by obsessing with language, which is easier to control than behavior." There are so many, many sentences and paragraphs in this beautiful, melancholy book, and such amazing word play between all the characters - between James, his therapist, his mother and sister, and even with his prescient and compassionate grandmother, Like Holden Caulfield, James is wandering through the perilous landscape of adolescence, hampered by his examination of the human psyche and his lack of emotional padding. but as he makes his way through this sizzling summer week in Manhattan, he, with the abstract help of his quirky family, comes to realize that life will never be simple, or explained in simple terms but we march along nonetheless, doing the best we can. This book would only be of interest to the most literate of YA readers because there's very little action. It is mostly James' examination of self and life. ( )

http://booksareking.blogspot.com/2008... ( )