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Reviewed by Robert A. Groves for Readers' Favorite
The friends you have early in life know you better than anyone later on. Dear Mike, by George Wentworth, follows Michael “Mike” Warren from his sophomore year of high school in 1967 through 1993, as he narrates his own life. Mike comes of age in New Barry, Connecticut, shaped by family, friends, and American society. His father is a journalist whose life is changed when he and his best friend report on the Nightfall Murders. Mike often feels like an outsider looking through a window. He starts his story by sharing what he is not. He is not a jock and often feels that his father, a sportswriter, might be disappointed by that. He is also not a musician or academic star. But the talent he does have is collecting people. Peers are drawn to him; each for their own reason. As Mike matures, the narrative advances to his own experiences with love, heartbreak, and the chaos of social change that defined the 1960s. Like most everyone else, he experiences triumphs, losses, and the test of friendship bonds. His resilience is tested as his parents age, and his father dies. But it is not until a week in November 1993 that Mike finally discovers what he is made of. Will this event be the one that breaks him?
Mike, his family, and the Connecticut community in which he grew up all felt believable. It is a character-rich novel. This is in keeping with Mike’s ability to attract friends and keep them close. George Wentworth introduces Angie Russo's voice to keep the narrative grounded. I loved what she told Mike's dad: “You can’t just wade into people’s lives and paint over the ugly parts just because the world wants pretty.” Each chapter title is a song from the era that Mike came of age. This is not a decoration; it is the emotional index of his life. While the entire book is engaging, there are two impactful moments that readers will not soon forget. The first is John Warren's deathbed letters, and the second is that November 1993 week. Dear Mike is an outstanding piece of writing. I don’t think print format will be the only way we experience this story. I can easily see a screenplay or stage adaptation coming before too long.
