The Quiet Boy Book Review

The Quiet Boy

by Ben H. Winters

Publisher: Mulholland Books
Ginasbookreport Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Genre: Science Fiction
Read This If You Love: The Policeman trilogy by Ben H. Winters / Fans of Blake Crouch

This was a buddy read book that I read and so did my husband, Patrick. You will find our individual takes on the book here.

Gina’s Review of the The Quiet Boy

“He’s got the future inside of him. It’s got to come out.”

Wes suffers an injury that locks him into his 16-year-old body. He doesn’t change, sleep, eat…just walks continuously, but how can that be? Does he really have the mysterious Syndrome J? Was it a result of malpractice? Is there a way to reach Wes? Jay Shenk takes on the case to try and get a legal and financial verdict for Wes’s family and swears to always be their lawyer. Decades later, Jay’s son Ruben is an investigator who picks up the case when Wes’s dad is in need. But while The Quiet Boy still is locked in his own mind, a mysterious man and his followers have a new idea about what is really inside of Wes. 

This is a science fiction novel wrapped in a dramatic legal thriller wrapper. It has the trademark characteristics that Winters does so well: well developed and interesting characters; a narrative writing style in prose that contains a lyrical poetic quality. As always, the characters are top notch and layered. Winters is a master of character development and Ruben and Jay are two of his best. Those are all the wonderful things I liked about the book. However, I only gave it 3.75 stars, so why? I wanted more from the science fiction angle. A further exploration of what or who Wes was and the doctors and night man and his followers were left dangling and it left me wanting more.

BUT…Winters wrote my all time favorite trilogy: The Last Policeman, Countdown City, and World of Trouble. I’ve recommended them to so many readers and everyone loves this series. 

On a side note: as a resident in the Indy area and knowing Winters used to live here, as well, I really appreciated his Indianapolis references. He is spot on that we are super nice, but have plenty of creepy around the corner. 

Patrick’s Review of The Quiet Boy

The Quiet Boy by Ben H. Winters sets itself up as a legal thriller encompassing two trials distanced by a decade. While the novel contains a science fiction element, it is by no means the heart of this novel, which is how an accident and consequent trial impacts the lives of the people involved.

Wesley Keener falls and hits his head. The bizarre outcome of the incident is that Wesley loses all capability to interact, simply walking and walking and never needing to eat or sleep. The parents, David and Beth sue the hospital and doctor, and their lawyer is Jay Shenk.

Ten years later, David and Beth hire Jay to serve as David’s criminal defense attorney after David confesses to killing the expert witness, Dr. Theresa Pileggi, in the original trial. Jay’s son, Ruben, acts as his PI. 

The driving force of the novel is uncovering how the confident—even rather gross ambulance chaser attorney—Jay turns into the bumbling, broken man ten years later. Winters carries us across this transformation by alternating between the two events, letting us glimpse into the lives of Ruben and Elvie, the Keener’s daughter, who had a brief flirtation during the original trial that is restoked during the later trial. Winters has the ability to quickly capture a character (David is a good example) or build over a longer arc without either losing their complexity.

Wes’s situation is not, I’m the end, particularly relevant to either case except insofar as it drives the trial and Dr. Pileggi’s role in it. What has happened to Wes also pulls in a cult with some significant consequences to the story—though not in expected ways. None of this, however, is the point of the novel, in my eyes. Instead, it is about Jay and Ruben, their relationship, their lives as a result of the sparking event. Unfortunately, Winters sets this up so well, I felt the payoff a bit underwhelming—or perhaps the reason for the eventual distance between father and son was too subtle for this reader to get.

I am a huge fan of Winters’ Last Policeman trilogy, and this novel does not quite measure up, but it is an excellent read.