In We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen, in the space of one year (September 1982-August 1983), childhood buddies Cath & Scott stay in touch with one another as Cath begins her freshman year at Wake Forest University while Scott remains in their hometown. Along the way, they both go through some pretty big changes.
We Are Still Tornadoes has a neat storytelling structure. The whole book is basically letters (this is set in those pre-email days) that go back and forth between Cath & Scott, discussing things like school, old boyfriends & girlfriends, and upheavals in their personal lives, while subtly underlying how both of them actually feel about each other. So we get Cath discussing how she’s coping with college, her roommate, and various other things, while Scott talks about wishing he had done better in class & might’ve gone to college too. Yet both always try to support & encourage each other, even when misunderstandings or personal tragedies strike unexpectedly.
Apparently, Michael Kun wrote all of Scott’s letters while Susan Mullen did Cath’s. The difference in styles is pretty striking, especially when both are sending sarcastic responses to each other (Cath’s bit about Scott’s use of quotation marks early on (page 11) is a riot.) The topical shout-outs to then-popular rock stars get a little annoying after a while, though.
We Are Still Tornadoes (the title refers to a passage in a high school student’s graduation speech) is a little predictable but still fun to read. Check it out.
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