Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that there are sexual references and fantasies here, and that the main character, a very troubled teen, has sex (not described). There are accidents in which people are killed, and moderate slurs are used.
Families who read this book could discuss the idea of Fate. Are our lives governed by fate? If so, can we discern what it is? Does the universe play tricks on us? Should we avoid or embrace our fate? Also, David is clearly suffering from depression, and young readers may want to know more about it.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
Words like "stunning" and "dazzling" are the sort of adjectives that get overused these days, but it's hard to think of other single words that so aptly describe this heartfelt, witty, multilayered, thoughtful, clever, and above all, compassionate sophomore effort from the author of How I Live Now. Though her first book garnered rave reviews (though not from us) and prizes, this one is sure to outshine it.
If character is the foundation of a great novel, this one has that in spades. Every character, major and minor (well, OK, except for the adults) is a brilliant and deeply appealing creation. There's Charlie, surely one of the most fascinating 1-year-olds in literature, whose almost nonexistent vocabulary hides deep thought, compassion, and understanding that is, somehow, still childlike. And Peter, whose serenity and grace David both loves and envies. Peter's precocious younger sister Dorothea combines loving wisdom with a clear-eyed lack of sentimentality that is breathtaking. And Agnes, David's older love-interest, has the artist's combination of understanding and ruthless selfishness that makes her repellant and attractive at the same time.
And then there's David/Justin, whose yearning and need and misery flirt with, but never cross over into, tedium; who can't see the love that surrounds him; and who, though so perceptive, understands less than everyone else. As he wallows in fear and incomprehension, raising one fascinating philosophical issue after another, 11-year-old Dorothea finally and angrily sums it all up for him: "The answer isn't in your head, it's out here, with us."
Even Fate, that most ruthless artist of all, has a sort of edgy compassion for his victims here. Using Fate as a narrator -- which could easily have been gimmicky -- instead comes across as absolutely integral, and it's done with clever subtlety. This is certainly one of the best books of the year and, while it made several best-of-the-year lists, should have received more notice from awards committees than it did.
From The Book
Charlie had spent a good deal of his short life worrying about his older brother. Now he paused in the middle of playing Monkey Rides in a Car with Donkey to gather his thoughts. He saw that his recent attempt to fly had been a mistake. It seemed to have nudged his brother past some invisible tipping point and this filled him with remorse. Charlie wanted to make amends, to offer advice on how David could regain his footing. But he couldn't get his brother to listen.
Or perhaps he was listening, but somehow lacked the capacity to understand. This worried Charlie most of all.
Plot Summary:
On the day David Case just barely saves his toddler brother Charlie from tumbling out of a high window his world is radically changed. He realizes that nothing is certain, that a single second can destroy a family. He "became mired in what if." He decides that he is doomed, that Fate is out to get him. He's right.
Fate, as narrator, describes how David tries to escape him. He changes his name to Justin, changes his clothes and activities and personality, all in the forlorn hope of escaping Fate's notice. Though his old friend Peter, new friend Agnes, and even Charlie are all concerned about him and try to help, he sinks deeper into depression, drops out of school, and leaves home. But Fate is watching, and waiting.
Related Books:
Other Books by Meg Rosoff
How I Live Now
More Confused Teens
You Don't Know Me by David Klass
Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
King Dork by Frank Portman
The Adventures of Blue Avenger by Norma Howe
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Sexual ContentSexual references and fantasies. The main teen character has sex, not described. |
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ViolenceA plane crashes into a terminal -- many deaths, injuries, and dismemberment. A man is run over and killed by a car. |
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LanguageA variety of moderate slurs -- "dickhead" and the like. |
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Social BehaviorThe main character lies to his parents, runs away from home, drops out of school for a while. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoTeens smoke and drink. British term "fag" used for cigarettes. |
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