Throwback
Written by: Maurene Goo
Zando Young Readers
2023
A literal throwback, Throwback captures the 90s with perfection with some excellent Back To the Future vibes.
As a 90s baby, this novel was pure nostalgia, leaning into that and capturing most mothers and daughters’ struggle with connection.
Storytelling
Throwback follows Samantha, who, after a fight with her mother, is stranded at the mall with nowhere to go. But she’s a millennial, so what does she do? Uses her phone to download an app and calls a car. And while the campy car takes her to school as requested, it doesn’t precisely drop her off on time.
In a quick moment, Samantha soon discovers she’s in the 90s…and her mom is there, prim and proper as usual.
I love the complexity of developing the relationship between mother and daughter. She’s seeing a different side of her mother, learning that growing up for her, a daughter of a Korean immigrant and a single mother, was not as easy as she thought. The grandma she knows as easygoing is not the same person in the past.
Samantha is learning that not everything is how she thought it was, allowing her to understand her mother more than it locks her out.
Samantha goes on an incredible journey through time to fix a wrong. Still, it’s also a chance to understand her mother and form the relationship she wishes she had with her. The novel is an opportunity to look at life and moments, grow from them, and understand them.
There was complexity in Throwback, making it thoughtful and emotional. The author made many scenes feel like gut punches because they were both high-tension, realistic, and relatable.
And the nostalgia was terrific, too. I loved the feel of the novel, the way it was reminiscent of Back to the Future without being a copycat.
Final Thoughts
Throwback is an exceptional novel. It’s emotional, thoughtful, heartfelt, fun and complex. It explores the complex dynamics between parent and child. It delves into the even more complex relationship between mother and daughter. And for fans of the 90s and Back to the Future, this is a must-read.
Nostalgic & Heartfelt | Throwback Review
A literal throwback, Throwback captures the 90s with perfection with some excellent Back To the Future vibes.
Cynthia Ayala
Cynthia Ayala-Bujnicki majored in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College. Editor-in-chief of Cyn's Workshop, she loves to read and write while tending to her pepper plants. She currently lives in South Florida with her husband, two kids Dante and Selene and two furbabies Mr. J the Kitten who Thinks He's Batman (yes, that is his full name) and Nyx.
