Customer Reviews

Theories of Relativity

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Theories of Relativity is a great novel. It allows you to travel into the mind of a 16 year old teen named Dylan who was recently kicked out of his house. He struggles day after day begging for money to be able to buy food to live. He finds a few friends and thinks he has a tight relationship with all of them, but unfortunately one of them ends up betraying him. Throughout the novel Dylan has to face a few but tough obstacles that confront him and they leave him both physically and emotionally scarred for life.

Also, I agree with Marsha Skrypuch, who previously said that "The story will stay with you." It has definitely touched me and will stay with me in the future. Not only has it influenced my perspective on life, I think it will influence anyone else who reads it. After finishing reading this book I took a moment and thought about how most people have very easy lives and how Dylan had to struggle during his life, both when he lived in his house with his family and also when he lived on the streets.

This fantastic book has left a deep imprint on me and it will on anyone else who reads it. I recommend everyone to read this book as it is most definitely a MUST READ!

The novel starts out with a 16-year old teen named Dylan, a bright but emotionally damaged boy because of the bad breaks that he has gone through. When his mother got pregnant, his father left her to fend for herself and Dylan. In the present, Dylan was kicked out of his house because of his bad attitude and his mother's innate hatred for him. Now on the streets, Dylan must face the unrelenting and harsh reality of the world. Dylan must learn to protect himself and his values or the streets will have taken another victim....

Overall, I think this book was great because the author has made it seem like what happened to Dylan could happen to anyone. This book also portrays the awful truth about homeless teens and how low that some of them may go to survive just a few days on the streets.

This book is masterfully executed with little flaws and I would totally recommend this book to anyone who is interested in these issues or if you just want a good book to read.

For about 3 months I had not read a book because I just did not have any motivation to read. I found this book, read the first page and knew that I would read this from finish to start unlike the other books that I bought and got sick of. I could not put down this book and it is very sad but the ending gave me a touching feeling. Some parts were quite disturbing. This book has made me aware of the kids on the street. I hope more people will read this so they too will be aware.

Before I read Theories of Relativity, my favourite Haworth Attard novel was Home Child, which in my opinion is a classic right up there with Anne of Green Gables.

However, now that I've read Theories of Relativity, I am blown away by her talent and I have a new favourite.

The main character, Dylan, is an obviously bright and angry teen who has been delt a terrible series of tough breaks. His own mother dropped out of high school in grade ten when she got pregnant with him, and his father left both of them before Dylan was even born. Hostility and mutual blame bounce back between Dylan and his mother. When Dylan is kicked out of his house and lands up on the street, his day to day survival is portrayed in searingly real terms. It is all the more powerful because Dylan seems like the kid next door. I could imagine my own son or other kids I know in Dylan's situation, which is of course the author's intent.

Read this book. The story will stay with you.

Before I read Theories of Relativity, my favourite Haworth Attard novel was Home Child, which in my opinion is a classic right up there with Anne of Green Gables.

However, now that I've read Theories of Relativity, I am blown away by her talent and I have a new favourite.

The main character, Dylan, is an obviously bright and angry teen who has been delt a terrible series of tough breaks. His own mother dropped out of high school in grade ten when she got pregnant with him, and his father left both of them before Dylan was even born. Hostility and mutual blame bounce back between Dylan and his mother. When Dylan is kicked out of his house and lands up on the street, his day to day survival is portrayed in searingly real terms. It is all the more powerful because Dylan seems like the kid next door. I could imagine my own son or other kids I know in Dylan's situation, which is of course the author's intent.

Read this book. The story will stay with you.

Haworth-Attard's novel pulls no punches, and because of that it's a powerful and moving read. A book about life on the street could have been heavy-handed and melodramatic, but the writer handles the story with a deft touch. The language and situations are realistic and heartbreaking. A masterful job--well deserving of its nomination for a Governor General's award.

In the Book Theories of Relativity it shows how the people who go threw life with out a theory are the ones who never ask questions. The main character Dylan was cut lose by his mother. When Dylan must fend for himself he if forced to set goals. Family was also somthing Dylan had to think about. When you have no one to look after you. You make the decisions. This book was a very good book to read. It is one that will open your eyes to look around and see what is really going on. I think from now on the homeless aren't just people who chose to live on the streets. They are the ones that create the theroys. The ones who ask all the questions. And with out questions, There are no answers

I loved this book. It had a great message and story behind it. I never got bored or wanted to skip a chapter. Always had me on edge, waiting for the next page. The only thing I didn't like was the unresolved questions at the end, but now that I think about it, it made this book all the better.

This book was selected as my summer reading book for my junior year. I'm glad I picked this one! This book is excellent. It makes you think of people who live on the streets as more then bums asking for change.

==Below this point will contain spoilers==
This book follows the main character Dylan and how he's kicked out of his house and forced to live on the streets. Dylan is forced to scrounge on whatever he can get, and use any location as means of survival. Dylan meets his potential love interest Jenna, who is a girl who ran away from home because of her father taking advantage of her trust, and yes, her body. As a result she wound up living on the streets where she meets Dylan. Weak and vulnerable she replaces another one of Brendan's (Vulcan as Dylan likes to call him) prostitutes. Dylan soon discovers the streets are more dangerous then he thinks as he attempts to get Jenna to move with him.

The problem I see with Dylan is that everyone offers him help but he just turns them down. He believes he can make it all on his own without anyone's help. I'm glad he learns his lesson at the end.


While the book was good, I did not like two things:

First of all: The dialogue of some of the characters. Some of it just seems a bit cliche. Like when Brendan says "It would be a shame if someone fell of this balcony". Also, I believe the girl Amber (Brendan's first prostitute) swears far too often even for my tastes!

Second of all: The book seems a little dragged on and several plot elements seem confusing or just plainly not explained. For example, when Glen suggests to Dylan that he should call his grandfather first to see if he's still alive and willing to see him before going on a 5 1/2 hour trip to nowhere, he chooses not to for no explained reason. Another example could be with Dylan's mother, her reason for kicking him out can only be assumed that she hated Dylan because he was born and her husband walked out of her. The reason for her kicking him out was never fully explained. Another thing I noticed and plainly didn't understand, is why Dylan's biological father, Phil was in his fathers house in the dark, drunk for no apparent reason other then to lengthen the story.

Although, this book has a lot of things that are either confusing or simply not explained, it was still a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone.

This novel was fast-paced and immediately pulled me in. I started reading it and ended up staying up until three in the morning because I had to finish. The story is terrifying and almost too real... it had me bawling my eyes out for the second half. I would highly recommend it.