Review: Beautiful, Touching, Accurate
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 24, 2013
I Love You, America begins in America as Greg Harris, a thirty-something Scotsman, chases down the love of his life, receiving looks from curious passengers because of his odd expressions and facial contortions.The book then takes a dive into the narrator's past, into childhood when these `tics' first became a problem. In a very entertaining and often humorous manner, Greg narrates his experiences in school, with his teachers and his peers, and at home, with his parents and his neighbors, as everyone tries to understand and come to terms with these peculiarities of his.Greg later finds solace in a pen-pal, a beautiful girl in the States whose picture has him entranced the moment he first sees it. He writes to her obsessively and fantasizes about her constantly.The characters are really well thought out, the story is expertly written and plotted (with a nice rounded finish as we return to "adult Greg") and the knowledge of the illnesses involved is spot on -- I have personal experience with both TS and OCD.It's been a long time since I've read a book where I felt so much for the main character. I was with him all the way, cheering him on and cringing when he did anything stupid, and not just because I could relate to him and see myself in him, but because he is so intricately and beautiful fleshed out.I couldn't recommended this book highly enough. It is easily the best book I have read in a long time.