" The book was pretty well-written, but I couldn't get over the fact that it did not sound like the voice of a ten-year old. At all. Which maybe could be explained by the epilogue in which the boy is all grown up, but still. Yes, the boy is curious, but he is all too thoughtful, observant, precocious, and reflective. Set around 1976, Eli seems to be the only one that pulls his family together--between his rebellious 16-year-old sister (who still loves him), his dad the Vietnam vet who is experiencing traumatic PTSD, his aunt Nell the war protester who Eli finds out has cancer, and his best friend whose parents are going through a terrible divorce. Just didn't do it for me. "
— Erin, 1/21/2014