From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up–A novel about the loss of a sibling should be painful and poignant, and this one is both, but it's also surprisingly funny. Brian, 16, is a smart but ordinary student coping with family tragedy–though readers don't get the details until almost the end of the book–and also adjusting to a new high school. His first-person, present-tense narrative lets readers peer into his often-random thoughts as he moves through his classes, makes new friends, and dates all the wrong girls. Meanwhile, his grief is something he pushes to the background. Brian's voice is clear and authentic; his thoughts come across as uncensored and raw, ranging from angrily self-destructive to sharply observant. His reflections on the opposite sex are both amusing and sad–for instance, he struggles to decide whether to break up with a girlfriend who annoys him, but who may offer him a chance to lose his virginity. Slowly, he reconnects with his parents, figures out a few things about himself, and comes to terms with his brother's death. Readers looking for action and adventure won't find it here, but this is a superb exploration of sudden loss, romantic disappointment, and general adolescent angst.–Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 10-12. In an unaffected, deliberately inarticulate first-person narrative, Runyon offers his first work of fiction, revisiting themes of troubled male adolescence found in the unforgettable chronicle of his own suicide attempt, The Burn Journals (2004). Brian has lost his brother in a car accident and has moved with his parents for a fresh start. While battling intense feelings of alienation at his new high school, he spends most of the time obsessing over losing his virginity (accomplished in an excruciatingly unromantic scene) and avoiding painful memories, often by tediously dissecting even minor daily events. Brian is a hard character to like, with his uninflected commentaries (events are typically "awesome" or "suck") and bald candor about sexual urges ("I think it's nice to treat a lady like a lady. Also, maybe it will get me laid"). Still, many teens will identify with Runyon's grim portrait of a teen caught in the storm of bereavement and moody adolescence, and share Brian's relief in the emotional breakthroughs that bring the novel to a quiet close. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
