All This Life

Starred review from May 4, 2015
Mohr’s poignant and darkly funny fifth novel (after 2013’s Fight Song) weaves together the stories of seven protagonists whose lives are all touched by a bizarre mass suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge. Paul and his 14-year-old son, Jake, witness the event firsthand as Jake films the jumpers hurling themselves into
the water. He finds solace in uploading the video to the Web and watching its number of views rise. Noah, who (unbeknownst to Jake) is a brother to one of the suicides, corresponds with Jake via the comments section of the video. During his many hours online, Jake also watches a sex tape featuring Sara, a 19-year-old from Traurig, a small town in Nevada, after Sara’s ex-boyfriend posts it on a porn site. The clip goes viral and ruins Sara’s reputation in Traurig. After everyone turns their back on her, Sara realizes that her childhood sweetheart, Rodney, who once had an accident that damaged his ability to speak, still cares for her. She embraces Rodney’s suggestion that they drive to San Francisco to find the mom who abandoned him shortly after his accident. That mom, Kathleen, is fighting demons, and Rodney’s 18th birthday comes and goes. Guilt and regret build to a crescendo, and the book’s momentous climax takes the characters back to the Golden Gate Bridge. Mohr’s narrative is by turns heartrending and humorous, with never a dull moment. Readers will love this cast of characters.

May 1, 2015
A tragic event on the Golden Gate Bridge brings together a bunch of disparate people, several of whom are reeling from earlier trauma. After a surreal prelude in which a possibly unhinged character discusses the concept of "existential mathematics," this novel segues to an event in San Francisco that leaves several people dead. Witnessing this with his father is Jake, a teenager whose recording quickly goes viral. Meanwhile, in Nevada, a young woman named Sara discovers that a sex tape she made with her boyfriend has also been made public. Sara and Jake are among the wounded characters populating Mohr's novel, many of whom are dealing with the fallout of their actions and the actions of others. Kathleen, a caricaturist, observes early on that "we are defined by our worst features. We are those mistakes." It's an observation that both sums up the online world that gradually plays a larger role in the different characters' movements and describes the situations many in the book are seeking to overcome. Kathleen's son, Rodney, has difficulty communicating verbally as a result of an accident; it's a larger-scale version of what nearly everyone present must grapple with over the course of the novel. There's one morally dubious character in the mix whose story seems less well-developed than the rest; while cloaking him in mystery is understandable, he at times seems more plot device than character, especially in contrast to the more realistically flawed people he shares pages with. Mohr's portrayal of a rapidly gentrifying San Francisco rings true: a bartender responds to one lament with, "We all ruin the neighborhood when we first come in." And there's a fine gag involving Google Glass to boot. Mohr's novel builds slowly, and his empathy for the majority of his characters shines through, allowing for a genuinely felt conclusion.

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April 1, 2016

As he commutes with his father into San Francisco, 14-year-old Jake captures a shocking scene on the Golden Gate Bridge on his iPhone. He posts it online, as part of his online persona, and it quickly goes viral. Because of this attention, Jake knows that his worth as an online personality has now reached its peak, and he wants to claim the fame that he is sure is his. His actions spark the events that bring together the novel's large cast of characters: 18-year-old Sara, living in nowhere Nevada, who learns that a sex tape made with her (now ex) boyfriend Nate has gone viral and can't wait to get away from the humiliation and anger it brings; Rodney, Sara's longtime friend, sidelined by a stupid prank that left him speech impaired and ready to get answers from the mother who left him after the accident; Rodney's mother, Kathleen, now living in San Francisco as a caricature artist and three years sober, who longs to reconnect with her son but can't take that first step; and Noah911, who has seen Jake's video and recognizes his connection with the action on the bridge. How these characters intersect becomes a satisfying tale of redemption and forgiveness. Mature teens who recognize the dark irony that threads this story-that the connections made online are not necessarily reliable-will enjoy this work. VERDICT A suspenseful read for older teens.-Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CA.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2015
A deadly spectacle on the Golden Gate Bridge is captured on video by 14-year-old Jake, who then uploads it to YouTube. As the views tick upward, so does the novel's cast of characters, which includes Jake and his divorced dad, a commenter who has a personal connection to the video, a Nevada teen who is decimated when her boyfriend posts their sex tape online, her ex (who was injured in a fall from a weather balloon), his mother (who ran off), and her loner new roommate. They are all alone in their own ways, despite the constant availability of digital connections. The book takes itself seriously, ably balancing its many story lines while it builds to a breathless climax. The characters' strong emotions provide a current of barely contained anguish that threatens to overtake their lives as it pushes them forward. Although he belabors the technology metaphors at times, Mohr delivers a solid look at the distinction between our offline and online lives and the danger that lurks when the lines between them are blurred. Thoughtful crossover fiction of interest to adult and YA audiences.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)