Citation
Reynolds, Jason. The Boy in the Black Suit. Atheneum, 2015.
Audience
Ages 12+
Summary
The main character in The Boy in the Black Suit is a seventeen-year old named Matt who works in a funeral home to help his dad pay the bills after the death of his mother. His dad is struggling with alcoholism and his own grief, leaving Matt to navigate this new reality on his own. Then he meets Lovey, a young girl about his age whom he meets at a funeral, and who has experienced more than he has and can understand what he is going through, while simultaneously helping him figure out how to move forward.
Value
A major value point of this book is its treatment of grief in a teenager. The main character doesn't deal with his grief in the stereotypical teen manner of acting out, etc., but rather Reynolds portrays the reality of grift in young people - which is that they often experience the complexities of it just as adults do. This is important for young readers to see in the story and it offers a more accurate representation of how teenagers grieve.
Potential Problems
This book deals with loss and grief after the main character's mother passes away from breast cancer. This may be triggering for some readers, but Reynolds treats the topic with care and provides insight into how teenagers can cope with grief much like adults. There is also discussion of gun violence and some strong language.
Reviews
"With his mother newly dead, a job in a funeral home somehow becomes the perfect way for Matthew to deal with his crushing grief. Initially skeptical, he plans to use his early-release senior year program to work at a fried-chicken joint that's staffed by an entrancing girl with whom he eventually develops a gentle, tenderly depicted relationship. But the funerals intrigue him and then become deeply satisfying; Matthew finds solace in seeing others experiencing his pain. Matthew's neighbor, Mr. Ray, the funeral director with a sad back story, becomes almost a surrogate father when Matthew's dad gets drunk and then has an accident. Matthew's voice is authentic and perceptive as he navigates the initial months without his mom; he's supported by a believable cast of fully fleshed-out characters. Occasionally, his language waxes poetic, as when he describes the sights and sounds of Brooklyn: "our cement world of trash cans blown into the street, stray cats begging, stoop sitters dressed in fresh sneakers smoking blunts in broad daylight, old ladies sweeping the sidewalk, tired nine-to-fivers walking slowly on the final stretch before home." Reynolds writes with a gritty realism that beautifully captures the challenges—and rewards—of growing up in the inner city. A vivid, satisfying and ultimately upbeat tale of grief, redemption and grace." (Kirkus Reviews October 15, 2014)
"When high school senior Matt realizes that working at the local chicken joint might mean cleaning up vomit, he reluctantly accepts a job at the neighborhood funeral parlor—the same one where his mother’s funeral was just held. To Matt’s surprise, he finds relief in watching funerals and seeing how mourners handle their grief, and he begins to grow closer to the funeral home’s owner, a local character. As he did in When I Was the Greatest, Reynolds portrays Brooklyn’s largely African-American Bed-Stuy neighborhood convincingly; Matt and his family are lower middle-class, as are their neighbors, but gangs and violence are a presence, as well. Coincidences and plot twists (including a car accident that conveniently helps Matt’s grieving father address his drinking problem) detract from the impact of the story as it develops. Romantic interest Lovey, a very appealing girl Matt meets at her grandmother’s funeral, doesn’t come on the scene until halfway through the book, and the wait feels long. An affecting story of a teenager’s path through pain, but one whose faults offset its strengths." (Publishers Weekly November 3, 2014)
"High-school senior Matt wears a black suit because he has a job at Mr. Ray’s funeral home (setting up chairs and food for services), but also because he himself is in mourning, for the mother who died just before the book begins and the long-on-the-wagon father who has returned to drink. Although his work responsibilities end when the funerals begin, Matt finds himself sticking around to find “the person hurting the most,” hoping that his or her expression of grief will perhaps help him deal with his own. While all this sounds like heavy problem-novel territory, it isn’t. Matt is a good kid with a good best friend, Chris; their Bed-Stuy neighborhood is gritty but also a place of true community. There’s even a sweet romance between Matt and a girl he meets at her grandmother’s funeral. With When I Was the Greatest (rev. 1/14) and now this book, Reynolds writes about urban African American kids in a way, warm and empathetic, the late Walter Dean Myers would have applauded." (Horn Book March/April 2015)
Awards
2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
Alternate Titles
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
Jackpot by Nic Stone
This is My America by Kim Johnson