Donorboy: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Okay, so here we go with my grief journal..." (more)
Key Phrases: grief journal, failing everything, black album, Sean Cassidy, Single Dads Club, Jim Hoffman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A teenage girl becomes the ward of her sperm-donor father after losing both of her gay parents in a bizarre accident in this first novel, a modern spin on grief, catharsis and the art of parenting told in journal entries and electronic missives. Rosalind Butterfield is the rebellious but sweet 14-year-old whose home life is suddenly decimated when her two lesbian parents—one of whom is a former sitcom star—die in a freak accident. Rosalind's unlikely new guardian is her biological father, Sean Cassidy, a geeky, single public-service lawyer whose lack of parenting experience turns the initial chapters into a comedy of errors, starting with his first icy meeting with Rosalind. She writes about her life in a grief journal that she dubs "Fluffy"; he fills her in on his past in a series of e-mails. The tide begins to turn for Sean when he defends Rosalind at a school expulsion hearing after she decks a hockey player for making fun of her late mom, and slowly Sean and Rosalind cobble together an uneasy relationship that allows them to co-exist and finally respect each other. The unusual setup may strike some potential readers as contrived, but Halpin's storytelling flair and compassion make this an engrossing read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–When Rosalind, 14, loses her mom and her mommy in a freak auto accident, she suddenly finds herself living with Sean Cassidy, her donor father. The baffled Sean has had little to do with Ros since her mothers asked him to assist in her conception. Told as a series of e-mail and text messages, as well as diary entries, Donorboy is a funny, poignant tale of a bereaved teen and a novice father coming to terms with one another. At first Ros refuses to speak to Sean. He communicates with her by e-mail and parries her hostile questions on how, exactly, she was conceived. He responds with a detailed description of his part in the in vitro fertilization process. As Ros negotiates her grief and the pitfalls of adolescence, he confides his doubts and anxiety in e-mails to a married friend, fearing that he took on his daughter for selfish reasons. But over time the two learn to communicate, cook, write heavy-metal song lyrics, and become a family. Readers will respond to Ros's authentic voice as she tries to sort through her loss, as well as her struggles with normal adolescent conundrums such as who her real friends are or doubts about her sexual identity. They will also glimpse how a caring but befuddled surrogate father learns to be the parent she needs.–Pat Bangs, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Villard (August 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400062772
• ISBN-13: 978-1400062775
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #735,573 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Donor Boy - an easier read than you think, April 29, 2005

By	F. Reznik (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Its the first book I've picked up in a long time and I don't consider myself a novelist or a professional critic like some of the critics below think they are. That being said I enjoyed the book.

I liked the style in which the story was presented, ie. the text messages, emails, im's, journal entries and transcripted sessions. The story behind the death was supposed to be ridiculous, it was a tragic event, they are hardly ever normal. The characters where realistic and your only getting what they commited of themselves to print. That way you can assume the rest. Its not a grief story, a gay story, a childhood drama story, a growing up phase story in its usual sense of the category. It is a feel good story.

I found myself not able to put it down till I was done and in the end smiled. Good enough for me.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Halpin Captures Teen Cyberspeak in a Powerful Tale, December 9, 2004

By	Daniel J. Maloney "Daniel J. Maloney" (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

In Donorboy, writer and teacher Brendan Halpin does a remarkable job in capturing the ways of adolescent communication in this online world.

The basis of Donorboy is the union of an orphaned girl, Rosalind, and Sean Cassidy, the man who donated the sperm that resulted in her conception. When Rosalind's lesbian Mom dies, custody falls to Sean, a totally unprepared, poorly domesticated, never married, thirtysomething lawyer. The union is heart wrenching and comical by turns.

Rosalind spends her first months of mourning writing an online Grief journal which is deeply sad, extremely angry, and hysterically funny all at the same time. A great deal of her journal rage is directed at Sean, who is a safe bet since its "not right to be angry at her mom" and since Sean is an unknown quanity whom she has been forced to live with. So he makes for the object of a pretty safe scapegoat -- especially since he doesn't get to read what she is writing.

The story is initially told in the adolescent voice of Rosalind in the language that kids use to write online. In that respect, it is somewhat awkward to catch its rhythm right at the start, unless one speaks (and reads) Adolescent as a Second Language.

Through the story, we come to admire these two strong characters as they attempt to come to some truce and a common ground on which to create a relationship and an amicable life together.

Sean recognizes that speaking directly to Rosalind is only met with stoney silences. So he takes to e-mailing her and to that extent the entire book is really a series of online and e-mail entries that document the union of these two characters.

Despite her anger and her tremendous sense of loss, Rosalind eventually opens up to Sean and they find themselves bonding.

Halpin has done a remarkable job of truly capturing the teen voice and in expressing the profound loss and the anger of a teen who loses a parent. The story is comical, touching, sad and full of hope for better times.

In the last four years Brendan Halpin has become a fresh new voice on the scene. He draws much from his own life experiences and does a remarkable, and often enough, humorous job in whatever story he is telling.

Highly recommended -- especially for a teen who may be struggling with loss.

Daniel J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, September 8, 2004

By	D. Zirkler (Gilbert, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A *MUST* read! I happened to pick it up on its release day by some miracle while strolling through the bookstore! It's an extremely fresh voice! Its all told through email, IM, text messaging, etc. It is about a 14 year old girl whose two lesbian moms were killed in a car accident. Her "father" fights for custody and wins. The story is about the struggles they go through in the early stages of their relationship. Its extremely funny, but extremely heartbreaking at the same time. Its an amazing read, and I couldn't put it down. I read it in about a 7 day span, 3 of which I was sick and didn't pick it up.