Ask Again, Yes Review

When I read Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng last year, I was desperate for more brilliant intergenerational family dramas, and I was blessed with the publication of Ask Again, Yes.

Brian and Francis are rookie cops in the NYPD in the late 1970s and live next door to each other in the suburbs, but only Francis rises through ranks. Their children are best friends, but their friendship is tested when tension between the neighbors rises when the kids reach adolescence. This book is about two families, but it’s really about challenges to friendships, marriages, and mental illnesses.

I appreciate that this book does not treat mental illness as a monolith. None of the characters find a miraculous cure. They work hard to heal rifts and forgive trespasses. In an Instagram post, the publisher describes Ask Again, Yes as “uplifting.” I disagree strongly — this book encompasses very dark subject matter that is not uplifting at all. The closest it gets to “uplifting” is the journey to healing and growth. You have been warned.

Despite the dark themes, this book is never heavy and has several [small] heartwarming moments.