The way that this book is written, you can't really say that you are going to stop "at the end of this chapter." There are no actual chapters. Taking place in two different years- one of which is the present time of the book, and one the essay that the main character is writing- it goes back and forth, sometimes with as little as two paragraphs in a section.
The book is mainly about Steve York, a San Diego senior in high school, who is failing, bummed out about life, and at the beginning he has a constant high. It goes back and forth between him in the present, and him as a sophomore student in Houston, Texas, who is popular at school, and is liked by everyone, who has a great girlfriend, and a lot of close friends- the only bad thing about his life, is that he lives with his father, Alan York, who is a world famous astronaut. Steve almost always calls his father "the astronaut".
A no-nonsense counselor, Mr. Demouy, tells him that if he writes a hundred page paper on the topic of his choice, that he can graduate from high school, and get his missing English credit. Through out the book, Demouy and Steve become close.
The book takes place in two different times and places, the late eighties, in Houston, Texas, and about nineteen ninety, in San Diego, California. In Texas, Steve lives in a suburb, in a large house, that has boxes that were never unpacked scattered through out it. And in San Diego, he lives with his mother- who is never home, for she travels with her husband (a pilot) almost all the time- and his sister, who turns out to be a major part of the story. Steve hates it at his dad's house, and doesn't care- mainly because he is (or was) high all the time- about where he lives in San Diego.
I loved this book, but it isn't for everyone. With the many sexual and drug innuendos, some people wouldn't be able to handle it. The book goes by quite fast, I read it in two days, and I'm not the best of readers. It is definitely written for teenagers in mind, although some adults may like it.
I learned many lessons from the book. One of which is that for two people to truly have a connection, words don't have to be a major thing in their relationship. As Steve finds out, a person who you might say a few words to on an occasional basis, and who your conversations never last more than a few sentences, may have one of the biggest connections to you out of any one in the world. Sometimes words aren't needed to have a connection.
The author developed the plot very well, although not in the most conventional of ways. The characters were also developed very well. I felt as though I truly knew Steve and his family. The situation is something that could definitely happen in the real world.
The book mixes humor, romance, life learned lessons, and serious subject matter all into one big web that somehow all fits together perfectly. I highly recommend every one to read it.
