Liz and Adam are high school sweethearts, young and in love, ready for their lives to begin. But it’s the 1970s and America is in Vietnam. Soon their friends and relatives are getting drafted. When it’s Adam’s turn, he refuses to participate in a war he doesn’t support. He’s also terrified. So he runs to Canada, forever labeled as a draft dodger. Liz doesn’t see him for years and doesn’t quite know what happened. One thing she does know, however, is that Adam is the father to their son, Will. And as they begin to rekindle their relationship, Adam still deals with his guilt from dodging the draft, while Liz deals with her guilt of not telling Adam the truth. The Boy with the Best Laugh by Naomi E. Kennedy is a historical fiction novel in which both Liz and Adam must come to terms with their own pasts before moving forward together, or else risk losing the time they have left.
Book
Liz and Adam both take other lovers during their time apart. Liz believes she finds love again. Adam ends up with a daughter after one of his relationships. Even so, Liz and Adam can’t deny the long-held feelings they have for one another. But Adam’s alcoholism is a problem for Liz – and one of her biggest concerns over telling him the truth about his son. But the longer she waits, the harder it gets to finally tell him. Not to mention how Will might react upon learning the truth himself.
Review
I will preface my opinion by saying that I listened to the audiobook version. Usually I have a hard time taking the story seriously if the voice actors aren’t good at narrating the material. Unfortunately, that is what happened for me with The Boy with the Best Laugh. The pace was slow, and the main characters weren’t very likeable. Some of Adam’s uglier qualities came out multiple times. And the fact that Liz held the truth from Adam for so long even after they reunited did not sit well with me.
I did appreciate some of the humorous parts and conversations between characters. Kennedy gets credit for the amount of research that went into developing this story, the trauma that her characters endure, and the healing. She approaches sensitive topics with respect while emphasizing the real-life events that this book is based on. But I think I would have appreciated the heavier themes in the book and focus on a generation who made their mark in history, if I absorbed the story through reading, versus listening. But readers who enjoy historical fiction and are interested in Vietnam-era America will like this one.
Naomi E. Kennedy joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to share her experiences in bringing this story to the world and research involved. Keep an ear out for the interview on a future episode and pick up a copy of The Boy with the Best Laugh.
