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Title: If You Want Me to Stay

Author: Michael Parker

Narrator: T. Ryder Smith

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-11-06

Publisher: Recorded Books

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Caught between the endless idealism of childhood and the sobering tests of adulthood, Joel and Tank bravely negotiate their way through a landscape of love and beauty, abandonment and betrayal, to learn that the one sure thing is often right by your side.

Members Reviews:

heartbreaking story of family love and damage

Powerfully written and horrifying story of mental illness and the inadequateness of a young boy to protect himself and his siblings from an out-of-control adult world. The fact that we hear the story from the boy's perspective is very effective in showing how underprepared a child is in making decisions in abusive, unhealthy situations. Oh how he needed a responsible grown up to hold and help!

Five Stars

This book is so heart wrenching and yet so well written you can't put it down!

Can't praise this book enough!

This is one of my favorite books. I purchased two additional copies to give away. Mr Parker is a craftsman.

An Excellent Use of Voice

I am not a big fan of the summer novel. I tend to read exactly the same kind of novels during the summer as I would any other time of year. That said, I honestly think that If You Want Me To Stay is the perfect book for summer. It's one of the rare books that manages to be exciting and readable without compromising on quality. Full disclosure: Michael Parker is one of my professors at UNCG, and his class on the contemporary novel was one of my favorites. It was partially because I loved his teaching that I decided to pick up his collection of short stories (The Geographical Cure) and then one of his novels. I can tell you now that I have not been disappointed. Set in North Carolina during a hot summer (much like the one we're having now), If You Want Me to Stay is a luminous example of the power of voice in creating a truly enjoyable reading experience.

Narrated by a 14-year old boy, If You Want Me to Stay is above all an incredible example of the effective use of narrative voice. Joel Jr. is an incredibly interesting narrator with a voice that is both unique and believable. Having lived in North Carolina for a good portion of my life, I can tell you that I have met boys who talk exactly like Joel. He is sometimes funny, sometimes cynical, almost always honest, and completely real. But Parker's use of voice goes far beyond the simple mastery of dialect. Where Parker really shines is in how he gets into Joel's head. If You Want Me to Stay starts with a sort of free narrative style, with Joel as the narrator. He tells the story, but with little asides, thoughts, and observations thrown in that make it feel like a real person talking or thinking. What I really loved about the style was that as the novel progressed Joel's narration became more stream-of-consciousness than not. The last few sections are in a nearly impressionistic style, painting the images Joel sees and mixing them with his thoughts, feelings, memories, and the music that courses throughout the novel. It's a great device, because the narrative gets more stream of consciousness as the boys get more tired and confused, making the style match the content and theme of the novel.