Brittney Morris writes the kind of book you can't put down. Her YA characters are compelling and loveable and you just want all the good things for them. If you have not yet read her novel Slay, I suggest you add Slay and The Cost of Knowing to your TBR pile and follow Brittney Morris so you don't miss any of her future books. Reviewing this book is a little tricky because I want to be sure not to spoil anything and yet I want to tell you so much!
On Goodreads, Brittney Morris wrote: "My love letter to all the Black men who had to grow up too early." This love letter is wrapped in an amazing tale about a teen, Alex, who in the aftermath of a car accident that killed his parents on election day, now sees visions of the future whenever he touches any person or object with his hands.
Alex has been managing to be a functioning human for four years even as he is hit with a vision every time he touches anything and the longer the touch continues the further into the future of the object or person's life he sees. Worst of all Alex can't change the future. He tried a few times and it didn't change anything, all the bad things happen. What a nightmare! I could not function.
Brittney Morris gives us an excellent depiction of crippling anxiety and how it affects Alex due to his power. Additionally, she shows how anxiety permeates Alex's life because he is a Black teenager. He has to navigate a world of never-ending minefields. He has to use code-switching not only to hide his power but also to make his existence more palatable to white people.
This is a five-star read for me. It is beautifully descriptive as it deals with hard subjects, you can feel the love Brittney Morris has for the characters on each page you read, and I don't think it would be possible to read this and not love these kids. I stayed up late to finish it and my heart is filled with both joy and deep sadness.
The Cost of Knowing is the sort of book that will stick with me for a very long time; it's a book that makes me want to send a thank-you note to Brittney Morris for putting it out into the world.
