‘THE WHYS HAVE IT’: Complex Study in Characters and the Grieving Process

STORY: At the top of the charts that command the success of his profession, musician Cory Minor has everything. Or that’s what the paparazzi and outward world sees. Inside his own private world, Cory’s life is another story. Losing himself in woman enamored by his lifestyle and the buzz of a new city every night, Cory’s life is on the fast track to disaster. Tragedy strikes when, while leaving his latest tour stop, his tour bus hits a car with two teenage girls inside.

BOOK REVIEW | ‘The End of the World’ by Amy Matayo

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Cory is listless. He wants nothing more than to hide and keep far away from the tabloid rumors, but first he has something to do. This leads him back to his hometown and Samantha Dalton, a woman Cory’s future is now inexplicably linked to.

The Whys Have It, by Amy Matayo | Book Review

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Anytime you pick up a novel by Amy Matayo, you’re sure to walk away with a lot of emotions. Not all of them are of the good kind. Some slap you across the face and ask, “What if…” Each time, they become kind of questions that linger and wonder and prod, breaking reader’s hearts (just a little bit) alongside the characters whose journey Amy takes us on.

I went into this book “blind.” All I knew was it had Amy’s name on the cover, and I’d read it. So, without reading the summary (prior to reading the book, I had when it was announced), I loaded it on my Kindle and away I went. Oh, my! I didn’t expect what greeted me mere pages inside this book. Two chapters in, a waterfall of tragedy assaults the reader, which makes us sit up and realize, this story (investing) is going to be anything but easy; emotionally or otherwise.

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“Last words. They can kill you with their lack of meaning, slay you with the absence of thoughtfulness, shackle you to a career of writing lyrics for the rest of your life just to hopefully one day get them right. Last words cut. Last words haunt. Especially if they’re careless. Especially if you have no hope of ever having another chance to make them better.” – Amy Matayo, The Whys Have It

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Cory and Sam’s respective POV (first person) switch offs help us establish where they’re at emotionally, their heartbreak (current and prior), and their mindset when it comes to what a future might mean. No matter how much I adored these characters (and I did – more on this later), I do wish they’d been expanded on more than what they are. Are they sufficiently tested? Absolutely. But I wish we’d seen more of them, felt more from them because I think they stand out as being memorable (these two are far from “cookie cutter” normal). Because of the deep roots this plants in my reader’s heart, this isn’t a flaw. Instead it’s a sign of how good this story and its characters are.

Cory’s lifestyle diminishes the person he could be and yet shapes the person he learns he can be. Sam’s past shapes her present, but she’s also able to see, through this unique bond with Cory, that it doesn’t have to define who she is.

Don’t misunderstand; I have nothing bad to say about this novel. It’s beautiful in so many ways – reasons, and ways I cannot speak of for two reasons. The simplest being spoilers and the other is I simply couldn’t do the story justice. To discover why, you simply must read The Whys Have It. ♥

A B O U T THE B O O K

Author: Amy Matayo
Publisher: SYG Productions (Indie)
Source: Author provided – thank you, Amy.
Publication Date: 2017
Find the Review elsewhere: Goodreads
Add the Book: Goodreads
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary
Rating: ★★★★½

Sincere thanks to the author for providing a complimentary e-copy of The Whys Have It.