Reader Notes: a mini review
2020 reads: book eight
Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley
Tell Me Three Things: there is only one rule. You have to tell the truth.
Five out of five stars
Betty’s debut novel is deep, aching, and had me fighting tears in the waiting room at the car repair shop. I’ve never read a verse novel before but it was the perfect form for this story and even helped me see how one of my stories would like to be told.
My favorite part was how Jonah stayed human. How Betty exposed the humanity, the exquisite beauty of broken bones and broken brains and broken hearts. It is so important to remember that brokenness isn’t always visible, and so important to touch those around us with soft fingers. “Where are you? What lives in your world?”
Liv reminds me of myself when I was 12 – fidgety, words turning into mashed potatoes when they come into my ears. Jonah… oh, Jonah. I know you. My Jonah was five years older than me. Her name was Heidi and she was one of my best friends when I was five. She and I would sing together because we could.
I felt like I knew this story, even though I’ve never read it before, never read the reviews. This is a story about my people. About my world.
Tell me three things.
There is only one rule.
You have to tell the truth.