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The Music of What Happens Bill Konigsberg Books

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* "Konigsberg demonstrates once again why he is one of the major voices in LGBTQ literature." -- Booklist, starred review

Max Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn't want to think about, ever.

Jordan The opposite of chill. Poetry. His "wives" and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won't like him anyway. And a secret A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he's the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.

Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what's considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites.

Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they're willing to risk -- to get the thing they want the most.

The Music of What Happens Bill Konigsberg Books

This novel has a bit of a split personality. On the one hand, it’s a deceptively lighthearted romance between two high school boys the summer before their senior year and on the other, it’s a rather bleak story involving sexual abuse, poverty, mental illness and deceit.

It’s a sweltering summer in Arizona and nerdy, insecure Jordan is trying to help his emotionally erratic mother make a go of his late father’s food truck, even though neither has any commercial cooking experience. Along comes popular jock Max, with his aspirations of being a professional chef, recruited to assist them despite his better judgement. Naturally, over the course of the summer, the boys make a success of the business and find themselves attracted to one another in the close confines of the sweatbox galley kitchen.

There’s a lot to like in this book. I particularly enjoyed all the scenes of Jordan and Max working on the food truck – the strategizing, recipe research, upgrades, shopping trips, cooking and flirting. The two lead characters are well defined and likeable, even though I found some elements of their lives didn’t necessarily ring true for me. I’d love to think otherwise, but I doubt we’ll ever live in a world where macho hetero high school boys are “cool” with having a close gay friend. And some of Jordan’s behaviors struck me as a bit naïve and childlike, particularly for someone nearing college age. But even still, the romance was enjoyable and worked quite well.

But I’ve only touched on the Dr. Jekyll portion of the book. And to be brutally honest, I’m still not really sure how I feel about Mr. Hyde.

Turns out, both boys are harboring terrible secrets. Max had a non-con sexual experience with a college guy that he’s struggling to get past, while Jordan is trying to earn money for overdue mortgage payments that his mother, who seems to suffer from some sort of debilitating mental illness, has been suspiciously unable to handle. These are very serious issues (even more serious than my brief description lets on) and, to his credit, author Bill Konigsburg never attempts to offer easy answers or a pat solution. And while that may be realistic, in terms of the book’s tone (and intended audience) I felt the story needed to offer a more satisfactory sense of closure. Perhaps this is the first in a series (although it’s not specified anywhere on the book jacket) but I, for one, would appreciate seeing both these young men overcome their demons (internal and external), reclaim their lives and find happiness and success.


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The Music of What Happens Bill Konigsberg Books Reviews

I am an adult and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Every other chapter was told from the viewpoint of one of the boys. I like that there is a gay romance option for younger guys, as this kind of subject is probably not written about often, at least not for the age range. The romance seemed genuine and unfolded nicely, and it tackles some other subjects that are hard to talk about for kids and adults. I enjoyed the fact that the boys were so opposite yet seemed genuinely drawn together outside of having being gay in common, and it explored feelings more than sex. There needs to be more novels in general that show males expressing their feelings, between guys and girls both. The fact that his straight friends were so nonchalant about Max's lifestyle was great. Max was irritated that they kept asking about the sexual aspect of Max and Jordan's relationship, which was likely realistic because I'm sure friends would talk about the sex IRL, whether in gay or straight friendships. I would really enjoy reading a sequel to this book to see their romance blossom even more. I think this would be a good book for parents who may be reluctant to accept their gay teenage son's lifestyle, to showcase that there is more to a gay relationship than sex.
I loved "Openly Straight" and "Honestly Ben" so much that reading "The Music of What Happens" was a no-brainer. This is another beautiful story. This time about jock Max (a 'man's man) and Jordan, a slight awkward boy waiting for his first love. Jordan's dad has passed away and his mom is a mess. They are going to lose their home if they don't make some money. Jordan takes his dad's old food truck and decides to sell food from it to hopefully earn enough money that summer to save his home. Max has had an experience that he doesn't quite understand. He's trying to figure it out but it haunts him. It makes him question his masculinity. Max hires on to help Jordan on the food truck and their friendship begins. The effect on each other is fun and lovely to see unfold. There is definitely more to both boy than the other expects. This is a sweet and quick story which I enjoyed reading very much. It didn't hit me the way Openly Straight did but that is ok. This book is strong on its own merits. If you haven't yet tried reading anything by this author, please do. I think he is frequently overlooked and that is just a shame.
This novel has a bit of a split personality. On the one hand, it’s a deceptively lighthearted romance between two high school boys the summer before their senior year and on the other, it’s a rather bleak story involving sexual abuse, poverty, mental illness and deceit.

It’s a sweltering summer in Arizona and nerdy, insecure Jordan is trying to help his emotionally erratic mother make a go of his late father’s food truck, even though neither has any commercial cooking experience. Along comes popular jock Max, with his aspirations of being a professional chef, recruited to assist them despite his better judgement. Naturally, over the course of the summer, the boys make a success of the business and find themselves attracted to one another in the close confines of the sweatbox galley kitchen.

There’s a lot to like in this book. I particularly enjoyed all the scenes of Jordan and Max working on the food truck – the strategizing, recipe research, upgrades, shopping trips, cooking and flirting. The two lead characters are well defined and likeable, even though I found some elements of their lives didn’t necessarily ring true for me. I’d love to think otherwise, but I doubt we’ll ever live in a world where macho hetero high school boys are “cool” with having a close gay friend. And some of Jordan’s behaviors struck me as a bit naïve and childlike, particularly for someone nearing college age. But even still, the romance was enjoyable and worked quite well.

But I’ve only touched on the Dr. Jekyll portion of the book. And to be brutally honest, I’m still not really sure how I feel about Mr. Hyde.

Turns out, both boys are harboring terrible secrets. Max had a non-con sexual experience with a college guy that he’s struggling to get past, while Jordan is trying to earn money for overdue mortgage payments that his mother, who seems to suffer from some sort of debilitating mental illness, has been suspiciously unable to handle. These are very serious issues (even more serious than my brief description lets on) and, to his credit, author Bill Konigsburg never attempts to offer easy answers or a pat solution. And while that may be realistic, in terms of the book’s tone (and intended audience) I felt the story needed to offer a more satisfactory sense of closure. Perhaps this is the first in a series (although it’s not specified anywhere on the book jacket) but I, for one, would appreciate seeing both these young men overcome their demons (internal and external), reclaim their lives and find happiness and success.