Customer Reviews

Shift

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Sometimes, life takes a detour.

Shortly after graduating from high school, Chris and his best friend Win set out on their bicycles, determined to travel across the country before college. Like all good road trip, this trek is bumpy, memorable, and metaphoric. Towards the end of their journey, Win unexpectedly takes off by himself. Feeling abandoned and upset, Chris finishes the trip alone. When Chris comes home without Win, he has to answer to his parents, Win's parents, and the police. Where did his best friend go? Why? What really happened between Point A and B?

As close as he thought they were after ten years of friendship, Chris found himself surprised by some of the things his best friend did during their trip. He learns even more as he unravels the mystery of Win's disappearance. In the summertime sequences, their dialogue is always comfortable, sometimes teasing, sometimes competitive. They are friends who almost act like brothers, but they aren't one in the same. Chris comes from a working class family while Win, whose parents are well-off, obviously has difficulty getting along with his father. Growing up, the boys didn't really think about going their separate ways, but now that they have, Chris must figure out what his friend wanted and what he must do.

My favorite line from the book reads as follows:

"Reality had a disappointing habit of not measuring up to my memories."

I also really enjoyed Chris' assessment of his situation:

"[E]veryone kept telling me how much fun I was going to have in college, how much freedom I'd have. I was starting to believe that I'd used up my lifetime quota of both on the trip this summer."

Readers will easily navigate through this story. Like a good film noir, Shift unfolds using both the past and the present: the chapters alternate between the here-and-now, with Chris starting his freshman year of college, and the summer, as Chris and Win make their way across the country. Their friendship and the investigation are accompanied by bicycles, patches, jackets, one glove, small towns, campgrounds, diners, and postcards. Though the element of mystery is always there, Shift is not a whodunnit. Instead, it asks: Why did Win leave? Who is he, really? How well do we really know anyone?

SHIFT is the kind of book that grips you from the first sentence and keeps you riveted until the last. A satisfying mystery, a journey of a road trip and a coming of age story, SHIFT is a beautifully written and well crafted story. Told in chapters that go from past to present, the story of Chris and Winn on their bike trip across the country, and the aftermath, unfold at a taut pace. Recommended for anyone who loves a good book!

The transition from high school to college often brings a sense of freedom and release, but Chris' first few days on a universtiy campus were impacted by the arrival of an FBI agent full of questions about his best friend.

Author Jennifer Bradbury does an exquisite job of seemlessly weaving past and present scenes into an intriguing, cohesive story as Chris struggles to decide what to do about his missing friend, Win,last seen at the end of their cross-country bike trip

I felt the wind in my face, burni n my calves and sweat on my back. I look forward to Bradbury's next release!

"This land was made for you and me." -- Woody Guthrie

"They've all gone to look for America." -- Paul Simon

"'Remember those outlandish lies?' she said, arms crossed as she stared at me across the table.
"'Mom, that was just Win goofing around--'
"'He told that poor student tour guide that you'd been in a coma for three years!'
"'Mom--' I tried to break in, but I could feel the smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.
"'I'm not finished, Christopher,' she intoned. I shut up and let her continue. 'And he wasn't satisfied with just that lie, was he?'
"I sat quietly, unsure if I was supposed to answer this question or not.
"'Um, no, but--'
"'He went on to tell her that he was an orphan refugee from--' She paused, waved her fingers toward me, beckoning the answer.
"'I don't remember, Mom. One of the Stan countries, maybe?'
"But it didn't matter. Now she only wanted to ensure this was as long and painful as possible. 'And,' she said, positively vibrating as she said the words, 'and he claimed to be your adopted brother who'd tutored you to make up for those years of high school you missed during your coma!'
"My father laughed. 'It's not funny, Allen!' Mom said. 'Chris could have gotten a lot of scholarship money at Marshall. And then he would have been close to home instead of going all the way down to Atlanta.'"

West Virginia high school senior Chris Collins has certainly never spent any time in a coma. His recent accomplishments include Eagle Scout, honor society vice president, and an acceptance letter from Georgia Tech.

Chris has known goofball Win (Winston Coggins III) since third grade and the pair have been best friends for the past half dozen years. Win's high-powered, CEO-of-a-polluting-chemical-company father and disinterested mother are nightmare parents ("All Win knew he could do was disappoint them, so he made an art of it.") who have spent the past six years sending him to therapists ("They couldn't figure out what was wrong with their kid, but wouldn't bother to talk to him when they could pay someone else to.").

Win's father has paid off all the right people and twisted all the right arms so that Win, with his mediocre high school grades, has been accepted for the fall into the same Ivy League school as Winston I and Winston II attended in their days.

As high school graduation approaches -- and Chris' mom starts talking about his getting a summer job at Kmart -- Chris hatches a plan for Win and him to spend the summer bicycling across America. (They've both been entering biathlons since freshman year.)

Chris' mom is horrified by the thought of her child taking off like that, but his father -- whose own teen on-the-road dream was left behind when he'd fallen for Chris' mom -- is supportive and insistent that Chris go for it. Win's father doesn't care what Win does, just as long as Win doesn't call for help when he fails.

And so the two friends hit the road:

"Come and take a walk with me through this green and growing land
Walk through the meadows and the mountains and the sand
Walk through the valleys and the rivers and the plains
Walk through the sun and walk through the rain." -- Phil Ochs

"I'd let Win talk me into paying two bucks for the only qualifying tourist attraction in Pepin -- a reproduction of a log-cabin pioneer homestead. The only interesting trivia that Win picked up was that when Pa Ingalls used to slaughter a hog, he'd make a balloon out of the bladder. He was so impressed by this fact that he asked the nervous little old man volunteering in the small gift shop if they kept pig bladders in stock."

But SHIFT is only in part an on-the-road story.

Fifty miles before they will reach the Pacific coast of the state of Washington, Chris gets a flat tire and Win doesn't stop to wait for him. Instead, Win pedals on -- and disappears.

The book actually begins with Chris attending his first week of classes at Georgia Tech and being confronted by an FBI agent who has been strong-armed by Win's dad -- a former classmate -- into investigating Win's disappearance.

Chapters alternate between our following Chris through his first weeks of college (and unappreciated meet-ups with FBI Agent Abe Ward), and our trying to pick up clues on Win's disappearance while following the teens biking together (and redefining themselves) across the country:

"At home neither of us had ever had a girlfriend. But on the road it actually seemed possible. 'Women love us,' Win had remarked one day as we left a Dairy Queen where a cute girl named Shayna had been sneaking us refills on soft-serve ice cream for the last several hours because we made her laugh. "It was true that biking cross-country was a good conversation starter. True that we seemed instantly cool, since we were doing something that everybody wished they could. I saw myself not as all the girls I'd gone to high school with saw me -- that is, one of the two skinny dorks who were always laughing at something stupid. For the first time we were cool, and we knew it."

As a guy who has spent my own share of time trying to peel off the many layers laid on me in my young years -- both at home and on the construction sites -- by my father, I found SHIFT to be an exceptional coming of age story about fathers and adolescent sons. Having always been awed by the breadth and beauty of America, I enjoyed how the bicycle trip provides a stunning and sometimes comical ode to our land. And having instant messaged my own friend since third grade this morning -- to try to figure out the place in Commack, back in the Seventies, that had the baskets of peanuts on the table (and the shells thrown on the floor) -- I love this exceptional and mysterious story of adolescent guy friends.

My mother and I both believe that you can tell how good a book is by how sad you are when you finish it. Sad because you've become so involved with the story, you feel invested in what happens next....sad because the characters become real to you, and are people you look forward to spending time with each day. Sad because something that's so good is now over. "Shift" by Jennifer Bradbury recently joined my list of books whose finish depressed the hell out of me.

In this book, Bradbury pulls off some challenging feats: 1) she writes in a first-person narrative that still manages to show (more than just tell) the story; 2) she very convincingly writes from the point of view of a teenage boy, in a way that doesn't feel contrived or forced; 3) she alternates each chapter in a flashback/flashforward format that doesn't complicate or confuse the story--rather, it propels the plot forward at a swift pace that keeps you wanting more with each page you turn.

"Shift" is a coming-of-age story of the best kind: not only do the characters within it learn and grow, discovering the world and themselves, so does the reader....as you ride along on Chris and Win's bike trip across the country, you may just find a piece of yourself, your own journey, surprisingly hidden among the pages.

Win and Chris have been best friends since the third grade. Now they are graduating high school and are planning the ultimate graduation getaway. They're going to bike from their home in West Virginia to Seattle, Washington, almost a coast-to-coast trek. The ride is filled with many different adventures, both physical and emotional. From being chased by a coyote to crashing many different events just to get free food - the fun never seems to end for this dynamic duo. That is until one day Win leaves Chris in the dust. As he rides away all Win manages to say is "good bye."

Chris returns home by himself ready to start school. He's still mad at Win for ditching him and hasn't heard from him since that day. Only days after Chris starts school he gets a visit from an FBI agent. As it turns out Win never made it home and was carrying $20,000 with him. Chris is looking quite suspicious, but he knows no more about Win then anyone else. As Chris' world shifts he learns more about himself than anyone could have taught him.

Readers will find themselves truly inspired after reading Shift. It is an eloquently written self-discovery book that will totally engross the reader. One really unique quality of this book is how one chapter describes what is currently happening in Chris' life and the next chapter relapses to the bike trip that he and Win took. This novel is filled with outstanding characters, heartbreak, and mystery. Although it is not a classic whodunit mystery, readers will continue to question what happened to Win and Win and Chris' friendship until the last page is turned. Jennifer Bradbury created a stunning debut novel that makes the reader really cherish the friendships they have and encourages them to take any given opportunity. I highly recommend this book to all readers regardless of age, gender, or genre preference. I think everyone will be able to pull something out of this novel. I whole-heartedly loved this book and look forward to more books from the author!

Jennifer Bradbury's "Shift" is a truly engaging story that not only explores a puzzling mystery, but also serves as a brilliantly crafted coming-of age-tale that held my attention to the very end. The first person interchange between the narrator's present situation and his retelling of his journey offers a unique style that serves to move the plot at an exciting pace without sacrificing the development of characters that the reader grows to love. The gripping story is punctuated with suspense and beautiful details that really bring the characters and their struggles to life. This novel explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and the struggles of trying to live up to others' expectations while trying to remain true to oneself. It was a satisfying ride!

I raised an eyebrow when I first picked up "Shift" by Jennifer Bradbury. I wasn't really sure what to expect after reading "The Fourth Stall" (previously reviewed) - where the cover doesn't quite do the story told much justice. I'm still not sure how I feel about the cover, actually, but "Shift" is definitely a good book. Un-put-downable, like "I Know What You Did Last Summer" by Lois Duncan, and I didn't really find anything terribly objectionable in the language either. As a mother who screens everything her 12-year-old daughter reads, I've read and banned Young Adult books with much stronger language, and certainly much more controversial themes from our home. "Shift", actually, is a really straightforward book, and that's part of the attraction for me. There's always a chance, as you're reading the book, that the ending is not what you would expect - but then it ends, like a terrific gap-year trip, and you wish you could re-live it ... maybe ... well, no, it was wonderful, that time we had, but life needs to go on - and that's the story. The book itself, though, should surely become a classic. As long as college-bound kids continue to enjoy travelling before settling down to post-high-school life, this is one book they should keep with them. A great read whether you're backpacking on Eurail or hitch-hiking (yeah, in a safe way, hey?) across America. In the words of said daughter:

"The book, `Shift,' by Jennifer Bradbury was an interesting and compelling book.

"Last summer, Christopher Collins and Winston Coggans went biking across America. They got in a fight, parted ways, and Chris started college. Then, an FBI agent shows up in his dormitory. Turns out Win never turned up in Seattle. Turns out Win never started classes at the Ivy League college he got into. Turns out Chris was the last person to see him before Win disappeared.

"What happened on that biking trail? Did Chris really kill Win? Did Win run away from his controlling father? Did Chris really meet a girl called Tricksey? Is Win alive?

"Jennifer Bradbury slowly but steadily weaves the past and the present together as readers figure out the one answer to the question in everyone's minds: What happened to Win?

"My favorite part was when Win and Chris noticed a coyote eating some kind of animal while on their biking trip. I liked it mostly because I love wild animals. However, I also think it was a good luck charm as right after I finished that chapter, my family went hiking up in Malibu. And guess what we saw? A deer, right in front of us, chewing some grass.

"I would give the book five stars: one for the title, two for the plot, one for the characters and one for the dialogue. Because even if some things they said might not be too appropriate for a normal 12-year-old, it was authentic.

"I would recommend this book to tweens and teenagers. And I'm pretty sure that even girls, like me, who have never ridden a bike before will enjoy this book. I know I did."

Chris and Win have been friends for a long time, the kind of friends that do everything together and always have each others' backs. So, planning a cross-country bike trip seems like a logical conclusion to their high school careers. The adventure proves to be everything they imagined and more, until the very end when Win ditches Chris. Angry and alone, Chris returns to the east coast to go to college, but Win never resurfaces. Soon an investigation is underway and Chris is the prime suspect!

By alternating chapters between present time and the journey, Bradbury adeptly captures Chris' anxiety, frustration, and concern while also allowing the reader to piece together important clues alongside Chris as he searches for his lost friend. I loved the pace of the book and the intrigue Bradbury creates. While the novel includes several formulaic YA conventions (nerdy teen boys do something cool and unexpected and excessively over-bearing parents) I found Bradbury's positive portrayal of a strong male friendship to be refreshing and well worth reading.

5 reasons I love Shift, by Jennifer Bradbury:
1. I love bicycles as art, as machinery, as transportation, as recreation, and as conversation.
2. I have been to many of the locations along the journey taken by the characters.
3. I have always yearned to undertake a coast to coast ride.
4. It's written by an English teacher.
5. The characters are real, and just plain likable. The parents are great, and I especially like the characters the boys meet on their travels--reminiscent of Travels with Charley in Search of America.