Review of The Squid and the Whale (2005) by Archibald T — 24 Mar 2011

Two brothers, Walt and Frank, deal with their parents divorce. Their parents are book enthusists and their father, Bernard, use to be the big novelist writer before teaching. Now he can't seem to get another novel off the ground and his wife, Joan, is sleeping with other men behind his back. There is a reason why she's doing it and I think it's because of Bernard. It's her way of telling him, it's done. She still loves him though, when he was a great novelist.

When the two brothers return home from school, they're treated to some bad news. "Your mother and I are going to separate," Bernard tells them. Frank is crushed by this, but Walt seems okay and is really influenced by his father. Walt believes everything Bernard tells him, very impressionable. He goes as far to treat his mother as if she were a whore after he finds out from his father that she had been with other men.

Frank is having some real withdrawls as well due to all of this chaos. He's 12 years old and is drinking beer, stuffing stuff up his nose and spreading semen on the books and lockers at his school. His only way of reaching out, I guess.

Walt stays in a crummy house his father picked out. When a student of Bernard's, Lili, asks if she can rent a room, he lets her. Walt has a crush on her, but he's dating a sweet girl named Sophie. Walt thinks he can do better by getting Lili, but that doesn't work out since his father wants Lili as well.

Walt makes a big mistake by letting Sophie go and Frank settles with the fact that his parents are never going to be together. Now Bernard, however, thinks he'll end up with Joan again. He doesn't like change and wants everything to be his way. Eventually, Bernard will have to learn you can't always get what you want.