Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You

At Patricorp, we love books. We have to really, since we've diversified from widget and ball bearing production to literary criticism. We love books with happy endings, and books that challenge the reader. We love books that are unique, and we're suckers for books that follow tried and true formulae. We especially love Young Adult literature, because we feel like we're rooting for an underdog, and who doesn't like that?

Our first venture into literary criticism is Peter Cameron's Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You. STPWBUtY is an important work because it doesn't pull punches. It describes the world exactly as a teenager experiences it, and James, the protagonist, follows more closely in Holden Caulfield's footsteps than any character in the last half century. James' angst sears the pages as his family interrogates him about his sexuality and pressures him to conform and behave like a normal teenager. His troubled confusion is tangible as he pursues a coworker covertly.

We at Patricorp have a strict policy of not spoiling the ending of a book. However, it's safe to say that this story, like all real tales of growing up, doesn't get tied up nicely. James moves on with his life. He experiences both triumph and tragedy, but it's fitting, because that's the way the world works.

We think that anyone who even remotely enjoys books, reading, or communicating in general should at least make an attempt to read Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You. It'll teach you about yourself.