The One Who's Gonna See You Through" by John Steven Welch showws the life of GJ, a young man whose story develops during the 1950s in an unconventional family. GJ's father is his main caregiver, something unusual at that moment and even more so when we know that he lacks formal education. His mother abandoned him and this family dynamic affects his first years of life and serves as a basis for the author to explore different concepts such as identity and acceptance. The characters are well developed with a though provoking story which will linger with you for some time. #Netgalley #TheOneWho'sGonnaSeeYouThrough

The One Who’se Gonna See You Through follows GJ, a gay Black man, from childhood through adulthood. There is a lot to be covered from his upbringing by a single father in Washington DC in the 60s to the loss and love living as an adult in various cities on the east coast. These various snippets of his life are covered sometimes broadly, and sometimes with incredible personal detail as though the reader themselves is experiencing them. The narrative is not linear and will jump back and forth without much context, which lends itself to the nature of the book, that this is a very real story being told. It feels very much as though GJ is there with you, recounting his life story and you are at the whims of his memory. This is not a common feeling in a book, and it’s not easily done, but it lands very well in The One Who’s Gonna See You Through, and I think it is the perfect way to tell this story.
This book explores themes of family, race, class, sexuality and its expression, through the lens of GJ’s life. GJ’s experiences are always different than his peers, starting with his life growing up with a single father at a time that was incredibly unusual. GJ’s father’s devotion, and his devotion in turn to the man who did everything to raise him, is the heart of the story. As the book shows us this world, the neighborhood GJ grew up in, and the issues the nation faced, it reflects on these topics through the unique perspective of GJ’s existence. Coupled with his “ways” (being obviously gay, even from a young age), GJ is able to reflect on the world around him from a different perspective. His perspective on his mother and her inability to be maternal is particularly poignant, as well as his descriptions of his relationship with his father. GJ’s daddy is not a perfect person, as no one is though fiction sometimes forgets this, but he is a good person and it is moving how accepting and loving he is towards his son no matter what.
Each character feels strong and well defined, and the book made me gasp, cry, and laugh. I enjoyed discovering things about a world I might not otherwise have heard about, and exploring life from a new perspective. This book is a solid narrative and a wonderful reflection of storytelling.