From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up—Kaden, 15, gets a letter from his older brother and best friend, mailed after he was killed in Iraq. Kenny urges Kaden to "go see what…is out there," so Kaden leaves his parents and girlfriend behind in rural Iowa and spends a wild and life-changing week in San Francisco with his cousin James, a successful author. Kaden is fascinated by the hedonistic lives of James and his friends, but disgusted by the selfishness and shallowness of their relationships. He's especially disturbed by James's unrepentant infidelity to his girlfriend, for whom he develops feelings. As Kaden immerses himself in their bohemian lifestyle and learns some shocking secrets about his own family, he comes to respect the unconventional life James and his friends have made for themselves. This engrossing and thought-provoking coming-of-age story follows Kaden as he discovers the complex motivations behind relationships and is forced to reflect on and take responsibility for his own actions. Set in lovingly depicted neighborhoods of San Francisco amid a cast of richly drawn characters, the novel pursues with subtlety and nuance its themes of relationships and responsibility. Narrated in the fusion of West Coast and hip-hop slang and raw language spoken by most of the characters, Kaden's account is frank and contains graphic depictions of violence, sex, and drug use. Music is an important element in the story, with characters frequently discussing and listening to hip-hop, punk, and metal.—
Erin Carrillo, formerly at Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
When his older brother Kenny is killed in Iraq, fifteen-year-old Kaden Norris honors one of his last requests by flying to San Francisco to attend a book reading by Kenny's hero, Chuck Palahniuk. Kaden stays with his cousin James Morgan, another well-known author who is in his mid-thirties but parties hard and does all kinds of drugs with a much younger crowd. His girlfriend Caralie keeps a loose watch over Kaden, but he becomes enamored with the music and drug scene of San Francisco's radial youth culture. Before long, he is tossing back shots and doing lines of coke. He falls for Caralie, buys booze with a fake ID, gets into a street fight, loses his virginity, and discovers horrific family secrets all within a week. After an intense talk with James, Kaden returns to Dysart, Iowa, determined to live life by his own rules.
Disgustingly dirty crash pads, heavy metal talk, fashion reports, and references to Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club scream "cool setting." But scenes of debahuchery crowd out deeper plot development that could garner empathy for Kaden and his problems. Like most teens, he is full of self-doubt and swayed by peer pressure, but his self-discovery happens too quickly to feel authentic. Saturated with F-bombs and other expletives, scenes of drug use, and gratuitous hook-up sex, this novel is not for everyone. Kids will love its 'in your face" attitude but it is not this generation's Catcher in the Rye.
---VOYA April 2010
