The Honest Truth By Dan Gemeinhart: Summary

The Honest Truth is a novel written by Dan Gemeinhart. It is about a 12-year-old boy who despite battling cancer decides to climb Mt. Rainier. He does not go alone though. He brings along his small dog, Beau. It is a strenuous journey including them getting mugged, falling into a river, and nearly dying together on the mountain. This novel is a lesson on appreciation for those around you. The setting is crucial to the novel. Mark begins at his home in Wenatchee, Washington. He creates a goal to climb Mt. Rainier, and all chapters begin with how many miles he has left. He chose this mountain because of a promise to his grandpa. They wanted to climb Mt. Rainier when Mark recovered from cancer. Sadly, neither Mark nor his Grandpa recovered. When on his deathbed, Mark’s grandpa said, “I never wanted to die like this.” He made Mark promise to climb Mt. Rainier for him. When diagnosed with cancer again, he decided that’d be where he died. He travels to Seattle, Elbe, Paradise, all the way to Mt. Rainier to fulfill his promise. The Honest Truth is written in alternating views. The chapters are in the first person. After, there is a half-chapter in

For example, “Dogs die. But dogs live, too. Right up until they die, they live. They live brave, beautiful lives. They protect their families.” His mom’s statement foreshadows Beau saving Mark’s life. While attempting to walk to Paradise, Washington, Mark falls into a river. Beau attempts to drag him out. This gives Mark the mental strength to get them both out of the water. After this happens, Mark says, “I was afraid of dying … Here I am, on this trip, and I was afraid of dying.” This fear hints at Mark’s decision to live. The author chose to use foreshadowing because the ending was dependent upon Mark’s character development. If foreshadowing had not been used, Mark’s decision to live wouldn’t have been