All the Secrets of the World

I’m a Steve Almond fan from two short story anthologies, his insightful political nonfiction, Bad Stories, and our common reverence for John Williams’s Stoner (expressed so eloquently by Almond and many other writers, a so-called group of “Stoners,” in the documentary The Act of Becoming). So when I heard Almond’s first novel was being published, I rushed to get an advanced reading copy.

My experience of Almond’s work led me to expect hilarity, edginess, and first-rate compassion-based philosophy and politics, so I was really surprised when the first hundred or so pages of <i>All the Secrets of the World</i> read like a YA novel about an immigrant Hispanic 13-year-old girl. Simply because I’m not that interested in YA, I might have abandoned this book if it were written by anyone but Steve Almond. Even though I prefer going into books blind, about 100 pages in I checked the publisher’s description for reassurance that the writer I want to read was doing something of adult substance. Yes, the copy assured me, something exciting was coming.

And boy, I’m glad I kept reading.

This is not only a book of substance, but a tour de force of technique—divided into five Book sections that intentionally and organically build from YA simplicity to no-nonsense police detective-story genre to full-on poetic literary sophistication with a gloriously transcendent ending. (If you’re a Stoner aficionado, you may recognize the narrative and character influences—I swear it’s impossible not to have them if Stoner is part of your foundation.) It’s perfectly paced, eventually weaving the genres together with a lot of journalistic narrative. There is some beautiful writing about a terrain and self-destructive human flaws reminiscent of my favorite TV drama, Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad (which I consider on a par with Shakespeare for its themes, characters, and poetry; I suspect this is another work that Almond and I revere). And eventually there’s some badly needed, delightfully entertaining humor in the banter of Hispanic cops (cousins) going rogue and the aforementioned Young Adult immigrant heroine.

There is nothing wrong with appropriating from great artists as long as you have fully digested the magic so that the influence morphs into your own work, from your own muse and soul. And Steve Almond has done that.

I like the contradictions in the young heroine, Lorena. She is shy, innocent, a science geek, and given to great passion and contradictory actions when her commitment to justice is tweaked. That rang true and I don’t know that I’ve read it before. (And it would be a choice role for an actress.)

All the Secrets of the World goes to such unexpected places. Sometimes it’s like an escalating fever dream; other times it’s an exercise in exhaustion—in a good way; you feel the same wearing down that the characters are enduring. There is a detective mystery, philosophical quandaries, and perversion in many forms (personal, religious, hyperbolic frenzy resulting in “Bad Stories”). In other words, it is a gripping story of our cultural mess in the form of a big commercial multi-genre crime and unjust punishment novel.

I love the particularly Steve-Almond theme—how distorted our reality is by exaggerations, part-truths, and a lack of nuance because blanket good and bad stories fuel our lust for drama and sense of superiority. And how transformation only comes from exploring the dark matter within us (yet another obsession I share with Almond; I’m starting to wonder if we’re related).

I also loved the exposed innocence (meaning “vulnerability”) of some of the characters—people who are condemned by our American culture to stereotypes. This can break your heart if you let it.

As the tension of false truth rises, Almond sometimes gives the reader a release. Just when you want to scream or punch someone, you get to see a true truth that happens in the future and is either seeded into the narrative or is revealed by the chronology of the storytelling. Or, in the case of the scene that fueled my comment about exhaustion, you get a clinical explanation of what the character and you are feeling. These seeds of clarity not only give the reader some necessary hope amidst the frustration and pain, but act as teasers, pushing the plot forward. He didn’t borrow this from anyone I recognize; perhaps one day I’ll borrow it from him.

All in all, a really good book. And did I mention the ending is transcendent?

Thanks to Zando for the ARC.

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This is a mainly technical review and there are two reasons for that: (1) As I mentioned, I prefer not knowing plot before reading a novel and I am not interested in recounting it; if you want to know more plot, read the publisher’s book copy. And (2) I found myself reading this book as a writer watching another writer work his chops. So that’s what I hope I’ve conveyed. If you are a writer or a student of writing or one of Steve Almond’s students (I’ve heard he’s a fabulous teacher), you may appreciate my take more than a “real reader.”

A complex and intricate satirical novel that sheds light on the Reagan years and what they lead to.
It's the early 80's and 13 year old Lorena, a child of undocumented parents is paired with an affluent and popular girl for the science fair project. Jenny Stallworth's father happens to be a somewhat famous scientist focusing on the study of scorpions. Scorpions and the dangerous desert landscape provide much of the metaphors to this novel of cultural commentary. Jenny is hoping to work on an astrology themed project however and the current First Lady Nancy Reagan is references as an astrology believer.

Many, many events transpire and none of them good. This novel is crackling with energy and a true page turner. As advertised, this novel has similarities to the book Little Fires Everywhere with underlying themes of race, law, and politics. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy sharp commentary in their novels, this is one of the best of the year!

All the Secrets of the World by Steve Almond
As I was reading this book, I asked myself: Why do I read? The answers I came up with are: (1) to become informed or better informed on a topic (2) escape to another world (3) solving a mystery and (4) coming back to a writer whose books I have enjoyed in the past. I think this book by. Mr. Almond fits 1-3. Not #4 since this is the first of his books I have read. This is quite remarkable especially because of after the first 50 pages or so I almost quite reading! Why? I was very uncomfortable with the story at that point of a brown 8th grade girl who has fantasies about a wealthy father of a girl in her class. But I continued and this young girl – Lorena ends up getting through this issue as well as in many ways overcoming her background and insecurities for the most part.
I was very impressed that Mr. Almond, a white middle-aged male ability to believe I am reading and learning about this 13 yr. old girl from a disadvantaged family struggling with all the uncertainties of growing up. Bravo!
I will not give away the story but it was moving and still ended without turning into, “and everyone lived happily ever after.” I have looked on Mr. Almond’s website and see he has a distinguished career as a writer and a teacher. This book is a wonderful addition to he resume.

All the Secrets of the World sucked me in like a Hoover! It was complex, riddled me with anxiety, and had me staying up all hours of the night dying to know what happens next. It begins like an unraveling teen girl drama: we see the world through Lorena’s eyes as she visits the sprawling Stallworth home, admires the family dynamics so unlike her own, and develops a dynamic love/hate friendship with Jenny (but also Mr. Stallworth). That teen drama seamlessly switches to detective tale as we follow Pablo Guerrero through his investigation--and this is where all the anxiety began to kick in.

Reading through the Hispanic lens is something I love to see out of a book because there are so many different experiences in any given ethnicity. Plus, we love to root for our gente! So this book tore at me when Lorena and Guerrero sat on opposite sides of the law. I wanted to root for Guerrero but I couldn’t help but feel like he was in the wrong, making horrible decisions that had me freaking out a bit. Not to mention the crooked cops that controlled him and their motives as well. To be honest though, that made the book so much more exciting because it had me questioning what was real and what wasn’t. So anxious to know what the outcome was going to be. And still, rooting endlessly.

My only issue was that I felt it did a bit of telling instead of showing, especially regarding characters’ thoughts and feelings. Telling us nuances that could be picked up or inferred through their behavior instead of outright saying why they did what they did. Sometimes it’s fun to draw those conclusions on your own as a reader and it felt like the book did all the thinking for me.

But that’s very minor in the grand scheme of an exciting story. This book was unafraid, fun, and frustrating, but man was it a damn good read. I highly recommend to anyone who loves adventure, deserts, and complex human experiences.

This book had a tendency to run all over the place, but I was happy to be along for the ride. All the Secrets of the World focuses on a young girl, Lorena, and her dynamic with her science partner Jenny. It also features an investigation by Pablo; this novel explores themes of politics, racial identity, and adventure. The desert is also featured as metaphor for the characters' experiences. A very adventurous novel.

Unexpected. Starts off as a YA coming-of-age tale but then takes off into a detective story. It morphs and twists and explores complex issues of race, politics and privilege. I found it to be very unique and different. Recommend.

A careening drama of American rich and poor crashing together in the 1980s, "All the Secrets of the World" is an intoxicating read. When a poor teenage girl, brilliant, bookish, and tough, is unexpectedly injected into a rich southern family riven by dysfunction, dangerous currents mix and then explode leaving a scientist missing, a drug dealer in prison, an outsider cop reluctantly quixotic, and our teenage heroine plunged into a cross-country odyssey. Throw in cameo appearances by Barbara Bush and you can see that this is no standardized drama. All the Secrets of the World harnesses the redoubtable writing chops of a prolific short story and nonfiction writer, and this debut is exuberantly, buoyantly penned with a complex plotline masterfully controlled. The amazing thing about the debut novel is that it sounds like it should be a "difficult" literary novel. Instead it is an immersive, entertaining read that also illuminates our human world. A must-read for 2022.

All the Secrets of the World is the debut novel by Steve Almond. With social observations on the state of our union, it was a book that I couldn't stop reading. The author makes his points without going into preachy territory. Letting the characters and the narrative point out the flaws in our judicial system. A must read.