Customer Reviews

Jack

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Jack, a work of fiction by A. M. Homes, is a remarkable story in which Jack must make his way through high school with more than just the usual pressures and awkwardness of growing up because his father is gay. It is hard to believe that this is Homes's first novel because the Sarah Lawrence graduate has won several awards such as a James Michener Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and a Henfield Transatlantic Review Award. Although Jack has a cornucopia of themes the most constant theme is that what ever happens your family is always your family, no matter how strange they are.
In the story Jack lives with his mother and her boyfriend Michael sometime in the 1980's or 1990's. He is an only child and is fifteen, when the novel begins, attending public high school where his best friend is Max and his girlfriend is Maggie. Even though Jack thought he knew his father pretty well it turns out that he knew less than he thought, because he reviles on a boat one afternoon to Jack that he is a homosexual. Unfortunately, the novel takes place in the years before homosexuals were excepted because people were afraid they would "get AIDS from them or something" (pg. 40). However strange and uncomfortable Jack feels, after much difficulty he realizes that he can't just shut his father out of his life because he is his son and he knows that he is just going to have to get used to his fathers sexuality. Clearly Jack's life much more complicated than that of the average high schooler.
Homes's novel is full of numerous interesting and real characters. Jack is what I think of as a typical teenager; he plays on the basketball team, has a best friend and a girlfriend, despite his bumpy home life, he is fairly normal. Sadly the same can not be said for his best friend "stupid Max," who also experiences trouble at home (Pg. 38). Max's trouble becomes much more serious than Jack's though when his father beats his mother so badly that she kicks him out of the house. Maggie, Jack's girlfriend, whom he describes as one of the "ultra cool crowd, the kids who never, ever, talk to anyone but themselves" which was why he was so surprised when she started to like him (pg. 54). Jack's father lives in an apartment complex with Bob, and is slowly regaining Jack's friendship. Michael, Jack's mother's boyfriend, is a little strange. Jack calls him "Old Mr. Zen" because he is constantly pouring out somewhat hippie-like and wishy washy advice that is only applicable to the situation half the time, maybe more if you really search fro the meaning in his words (pg. 29). However weird these people may seem, at the end of the day they are Jack's family.
Jack by A. M. Homes is an addictive story. Homes has a great writing style because she uses a lot of both indirect and direct characterization. In my opinion that is the best way to hook the reader because it makes me feel as though I know the characters. Also, because Jack was such a believable teen, I felt as if his observations were ones that I might have made myself; in other words it didn't sound as though an adult was writing his thoughts, they sound real. I really enjoyed this story and thought that Homes's use of characterization was not only engaging, but effective.

I loved this book from page one...I picked it up after reading" End of Alice" while i was at work (in a bookstore of course) and thumbed through the first couple of pages and was hesitant in putting it back...i'm glad i didn't....this book was funny and emotional and i recommend it to anyone who was confused as hell growing up.

Because I've read some of A.M. Homes' other work, I was interested in this early novel of hers written in 1989. It doesn't have the punch that either "The Safety of Objects" or "The End of Alice" has, but it clearly shows the promise of a young writer.

Written as a first-person narrative by a Jack, 15-year old boy in the suburbs, which is Ms. Homes' favorite landscape, we experience all of this boy's highs and lows. His father and mother have recently divorced and his father has just told Jack that he is gay. This, of course, has a tremendous effect on the boy who has conflicting allegiance to each of his parents. Jack is also dealing with adolescence. He is starting to date girls and take driving lessons. His best friend's parents have problems too. And someone has written some cruel words on Jack's locker at school.

The book is merely 218 pages long and a fast read and drew me right into the mind of this young man and his conflicts. If you are a fan of A.M. Homes, you might like it. But the theme is simpler than some of her other work and didn't have the same kind of depth. But I did enjoy it for what it was.

A.M. Homes' short story collection 'The Safety of Objects' made me a huge fan of her work. 'Jack' is a decent book, but could do with a bit of the brutal whimsy I've come to expect fom her work. While the plot might seem too pat to adults and the characters too noble, 'Jack' would be an excellent book for a young, straight teen to read when he is grappling with having a gay parent- Jack is a superb role model.

I am a big fan of Homes and this first book by her does not disappoint. Jack is a 15 year old guy, pretty average, whose father suddenly announces he is gay. The story focuses around the few months following the announcement and how Jack deals with it. The tone is just right and Homes tackles the story beautifully, making Jack a totally credible character. Recommended - like any of Homes' books.

Jack is in his fifteenth year, an only child and a keen basketball player, when his father, who separated from his mother s few years ago, takes him out on a lake in a boat to announce to Jack that he is gay. Jack's immediate reaction, aside from revulsion, is to grab himself the first girl he can, and so prove that he is not like his father. But that is just the beginnings of Jack's troubles that will plague him up to his sixteenth birthday.

Jack relates his own account, and he tells his storey not sparing himself himself in the process. Within the first page one is already won over to Jack, he is a thoroughly likeable young man, and very funny too in his narration. The relatively few characters are well drawn, notable is Jack's long standing friend Max, the complete opposite to Jack, insensitive and something of a glutton, but their friendship is built on solid ground.

This is a delightful story, and frequently very funny, but there are moments of drama too. As the story draws to its conclusion with Jack's sixteenth birthday he has figured a few things out, and seems well set for the future. "Jack" is a most enjoyable and positive read.

My 9th grade english teacher assigned this book to the whole class over 2-3 weeks. I say this for myself and for the rest of my 16 classmates, this book sucked. Plain and Simple. Nobody and I mean nobody in my class liked it.

My teenage angst seems insignificant now. This book is moving, charming and funny on every page.

It would be a stretch, at the very least, to say that A.M Homes' "Jack" was a worthwhile read. The novel is about the troubled life of fifteen going on sixteen year old Jack. He is the typical teenager dealing with everyday problems except for one: Jack's father is a homosexual. After learning this one weekend outing, Jack's life is forever changed and the rest of the book focuses on how he deals with it.
Despite its subtle charm and irreverence, "Jack's" over all appeal falls flat. Its dialogue, though relevant, did not feel authentic, perhaps mostly due to the fact that I too am of the same age as he. The overall poignancy of the novel was lost because the syntax that Homes used was a disenchanting journey to a disappointing ending. However, amid the lost dramatic enticement, I respect Homes' use of a Salinger-esque execution of a main character whose problems with himself and the world are expressed with artful subtlety without resorting to gooey melodrama. The novel Jack, despite its occasional cunning guile, is predominantly an unsubstantial read and I would not recommend it to those in search of a compelling young adult novel.

This book was interesting and started off strong, but the characters (including Jack) just never seemed realistic to me. I am a high school teacher and I know teenagers, and Jack did not really seem believable . . . although of course, anything is possible. Worse, however, Jack's parents and their reactions to each other and to Jack really didn't ring true. I don't want to spoil the plot by giving specifics, but suffice it to say that I think there needed to be more character development. If the subject matter of this book appeals to you then it may be worth your while, but don't expect to be amazed.