Tehreem: Being Henry David by Cal Armistead

Seventeen-year-old "Hank" has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything --who he is, where he came from, why he's running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. And so he becomes Henry David-or "Hank" and takes first to the streets, and then to the only destination he can think of--Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Cal Armistead's remarkable debut novel is about a teen in search of himself. Hank begins to piece together recollections from his past. The only way Hank can discover his present is to face up to the realities of his grievous memories. He must come to terms with the tragedy of his past, to stop running, and to find his way home.

Before I start, I would like to state one thing; this book is not about entirely about Henry David Thoreau. If you are expecting some sort of retelling of Walden, you best look somewhere else.

The book starts off with a young man waking up in a subway, and finding that he has no recollection of his life. As far as he knows, he has no name, no family, and no home. When interrogated by the station police, he gives them the name of the author of the bound book in his possession; Henry David. Son. Davidson. After all, how suspicious would it look if he just so happened to carry the same name as Thoreau?

During his stay at the station, Henry meets another homeless boy named Jack. Jack offers a place of refuge for the night if only Henry will buy him some food. Confused and alone, Henry accepts his offer. 

Jack then takes him to his place of refuge which is with his runaway sister, Nessa. However, their place of hiding isn't all that safe. A boy no older than them named Simon demands money from Jack. Money that Jack owes him. Money that Jack doesn't have. When is seems as though Simon is going to slaughter Jack, Henry knocks Simon out cold. Afraid, all three of them seek refuge. They then meet Magpie, a proper Englishmen who is not afraid to maim others. In fear of his threats, they stay with him. 

Well, Jack and Nessa do.

Insisting that Magpie likes them too much to harm them, Jack convinces Henry to run away. So where does Henry run? Concord, Massachusetts; the place where Thoreau is most famous. Alone and determined, Henry embarks on a journey of self-discovery; the pain, the joy, and the truth.

This novel, like almost every novel out there, had its fair share of faults. However, they good far outweighed the bad. The characters of this book were agreeable. I didn't feel like killing off the main character due to a stupid decision(s), which is always a good thing. The quotes really made me understand why this novel was given the name Being Henry David. While this book isn't a retelling, it is also about discovery of one's self. Henry went to many of the sites where Thoreau was said to have stayed. During his visits at these places, Henry tended to rediscover a piece of himself that he lost. The symbolism given off by that is absolutely breath-taking.

Personally, I think this book is one of those books for a select few. I don't really know who I would recommend this story to, but if this terrible review sparked a bit of interest within you, I would say give it a try.

My rating:

Three out of Five Stars!