The Momentous Expiration of Tremmy Sinclair

WOW! Difficult, scary but SO important!
Rich and privileged boys in a private boarding school. All jerks. And one of them is dying.



Tremmy just found out he has a brain tumor and has only 4 to 6 months left. But like Tremmy says:
‘A minefield exists between now and a natural death. Blindness, incontinence, seizures, dementia, pain, pain, pain.’



So he wants to opt for medical assistance in dying (euthanasia) <i>if</i> he starts crapping his pants. But he’s only 17, and therefore euthanasia isn’t possible.



My teens (just 18 and 15) were shocked when I told them they live in the only country in the world (the Netherlands) where 16/17 yo’s can make that choice. On their own! 12-16 yo’s can with their parent’s consent (in Belgium euthanasia is possible for all ages, minors with their parent’s consent). As a parent myself, I know this is a difficult and scary topic to talk about, but at the same time, so important. Because teens who are dying need that small part of self-control. And they themselves know when enough is enough.



This story is about death, talking about death, overcoming the fear of death, discussing euthanasia. But it’s more. It’s not a sweet and gooey story like many other YA’s about sick teens. It’s tough and harsh, and heartbreaking, and hopefully at the same time. At first, I didn’t even know if I liked it. Because who likes boys who are misogynists and bullies going to a scary private boarding school for the rich in a frightening world where people have drones (fireflies) that can eavesdrop? I didn’t. I frowned at Tremmy’s actions, and I hated Jenkins because he was the worst of all. But at the same time, the writing was so engaging that I couldn’t stop reading (except for the crying fits, sometimes I just couldn’t stop those tears falling). And Tremmy changed, realizing most of the kids at his ‘wonderful’ privileged private school were jerks:
‘Even though I know he’s making a dumb joke, something in the ease with which it slides out of his mouth is very wrong.’

Read the trigger warnings! Be prepared when you start reading this book! And put it on hold when it’s too much! I did too. I spent the last 20 percent of the story sobbing. I put it down, picked it up, and put it down again.

This can be considered YA (the author already indicated it’s 16+), but I don’t think it is. It’s more a crossover between YA and adult and definitely a good book for parents too.

Wow! I’ve never read a book like this, and from reading the description I was curious however never expected it to be as hard hitting as it actually was. It makes you think and feel a lot and all for the right reasons.
The book counts down the days to Tremmys death (of cancer) and is almost like a diary showing you everything he learns, reflects and regrets in his final months. It’s an impressive and mind blowing book. This book really sucks you in to the story and makes you read on, the ending was beautifully handled and it will definitely be a book which stays with me for a fair while!
Michael F Stewart did a beautiful job!

Whoa. This book is intense. So many themes were looked at alongside the main story of Tremmy and his untreatable brain tumour. Death, Assisted Dying, Privilege, Bullying, Consent, Justice.

At first, it took me a little while to get into, these rich privileged kids acting like complete knobs - ugh! But that is the point, to try to understand Tremmy's feelings and decisions you have to see where he has come from, where his friends still are.

Tremmy's interactions with his friends, and in particular Jenkins and Margot, really make you stop and think. They are deep, intelligent, and revealing of their privilege or lack thereof. His relationship with his parents is evocative and emotional.

As Tremmy reflects on his previous actions and behaviours you can see why he behaves as he does now with his diagnosis.

I enjoyed (is that the right word for this book?) the plot, it is poignant and powerful, the ending whilst incredibly sad is spectacular!

Prepare to have your heartbroken and be inspired at the same time.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Publishing House for the e-arc to review.

The author tackles a sensitive subject superbly especially for a YA book. At times it takes a while for the horrors to sink in because of the author’s writing style.

“How do you live a life time in four months?”

Tremmy Sinclair is a privileged jerk and a bully who has just been given the news that he has months to live. His parents drop everything and agree to go on a world tour with Tremmy. However, just before leaving he changes his mind and decides to live his life as if nothing has changed so he goes to school. None of his friends are aware that he is dying and he wants to keep it that way.

The book is heartbreaking and will leave you a crying sobbing mess. For me this was a somewhat difficult read because of the subject matter and because I’m a mother of two but still I couldn’t put it down.

I read this book in one sitting. I thought I was going to be a young adult, light hearted read about a boy who was dying. I thought it was going to be, at most, a three star read. I was so, so wrong. This book had me sobbing in my bathroom. It does not sugarcoat the experience of dying from cancer, nor how people treat others who are dying from cancer. But it goes beyond that. It speaks on hard hitting subjects. It details how death shows a piece of shit guy how bad he treated other people and encourages him to try and prevent his friends from continuing the pattern. From murder to rape to racism to class differences, this book hits on it all and, in such a wonderful and impactful way.

Tremendous (Tremmy) Sinclair is a 17 year old rich white jerk, just like all of his friends at a weird sci-fi boarding school with drone wars and AI helpers. That is, until he is dying of brain cancer. This is not your typical book about dying young, even the cover hints at the different approach to this topic. I was unsure about this book when I first picked it up but ending up enjoying it quite a lot and finishing it really quickly.

What initially turned me off was how much I didn't like the characters but there grew to be a couple who I kind of liked and more importantly, the story worked because I didn't like the characters. The main character is a total jerk and even though he's trying to be less of a jerk and help his friends to be better people, he's never really likeable. This allows for a quite graphic depiction of a cancer patient that definitely goes beyond what I'm used to seeing in books. More importantly, it allows for a discussion of the issues around his death rather than just the emotional component (which does eventually kick in a bit and I got choked up but I never all out cried). There are some very thought-provoking discussions in here about doctor assisted suicide and how old you need to be to make medical decisions. Tremmy's struggle to die with dignity and at the time and place of his choosing is weaved throughout the whole book and his discussions and internal dialogue on this topic are quite hard hitting. This plays well off the dislikeable characters and weird backdrop to make it not feel like a heavy emotional read despite the topic.

Another thing I really appreciated about this book was that it didn't shy away from the fact that the characters were jerks and no one miraculously stopped being a jerk just because Tremmy was sick. This is not that feel good story and it was refreshing to see this different spin on a fairly familiar premise. Tremmy realizes he's a jerk and tries to do better but never gets there all the way and while his friends have some good moments, most of them are still terrible people at the end. It's a dark but realistic twist on your typical sad high school storyline.

The drone wars and AI stuff and other random school traditions were gloriously ridiculous and a nice relief from the heavier topics. But they are definitely a little weird and could turn off some readers.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and think readers with an open mind who don't get scared off by the cancer/dying/death/doctor assisted suicide triggers should give it a try.

**I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**