This is the first story I have read by Anderson that has a male protagonist, and I have to say, she nailed it.
Tyler is a senior in high school who is dealing with a prank gone wrong. Tyler had previously been a wall flower, blending in, not making waves. Then he decided to pull a prank the summer before his senior year (spray painting the building) and ended up with probation, community service, and a new reputation.
The upside? All the community service made him jacked. That doubled with his reputation as dangerous puts him in the cross hairs of Bethaney, the most wanted girl in school. The downside? His dad is a control freak who is convince that Tyler's goal in life is to ruin his. Then, when Tyler goes to a party and gets accused of doing something absolutely awful (which naturally has to involve Bethaney, I mean, why else would the most popular girl in school be interested in a former dweeb if it did not end horribly for him?), he gets a target painted on his back and has to figure out if this semi-charmed life of his is worth figuring out or just ending.
Anderson does not fail to grasp the reader with this novel. Her writing style is straight forward and feels like you're hearing the thoughts directly from the characters head. As I mentioned previously, this is the first novel I have read by her that had a male protagonist (I, on a side note, have loved every book I have ever read by her and highly recommend reading Speak) and being a female myself I thought it might be difficult for me to totally adhere to this character, but it wasn't. Anderson wrote him in such a way that you can totally imagine him as a kid in your high school (well, it was only five years ago for me, so it was easy for me). You can feel his anger, his sarcasm, and his resentment in a way that make you want to punch the same people in the face.
As usual, Anderson tackles teen issues with a realistic outcome and characterization. No "Leave it to Beaver" here. Highly recommended for teens, but good quick read for adults as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment