WARNING – graphic content and spoilers …
An Honor book in this year's Morris Awards (first-time author
of a YA novel), I knew this one was likely to garner some controversy, not only
for title but for subject matter. Always
working to be ahead of the curve, I decided to read it so that I could answer
any questions, should they arise.
Evan
Carter is a teen with both mommy and daddy issues who gets out his many
frustrations by having a lot of casual sex with girls as he moves from one
boarding school to another. Real or not,
Evan embodies the quintessential stereotype of a teenage boy by spending the
better part of his waking hours considering how to “get the girl.” By the end of the first chapter, however,
Evan encounters something new – a massive beat-down for sleeping with the wrong
girl. Evan may have been raped – it's
certainly intimated, heavily, throughout the rest of the book, but never acknowledged. Evan's perpetually absent father takes him to
their family home, sitting abandoned on a lakeside in Minnesota, so that the
young man can heal. He spends the summer
trying to connect to local teens and smoking copious amounts of marijuana. Try as I might, I didn't love the book. There are commendable parts, but a lot to
criticize. Evan's use of the “f-word”
(on almost every page) and the constant drug use seemed over-the-top. While it may be realistic in the teen world,
I didn't see it as a necessary element of the story. A lot is left out, or is vague. The girl Evan hooked up with is also attacked
– the most said is that she “got it from two guys at the same time and may not
be able to have kids.” I'm pretty sure
that's physiological impossible. And the
story feels unfinished. If the point of
the book is Evan's healing, then it is successful, but that isn't the whole
story. There is repeated mention of the
upcoming trial for Evan's attackers but the tale ends before we get there. One wonders at Evan's significant memory loss
– if he is forced to relive the event at court, would he have to address issues
which have been buried? In a book with
strong language and frequent sexual misadventures, it seems like being coy
about the heart of Evan's assault is unnatural propriety. On the other hand, this isn't an ABC
Afterschool Special. Mesrobian gets a
thumbs-up for making these characters and their relationships complex. Evan and his father try, and stumble, and try
and stumble again as they work to build lines of communication. And Evan's potty-mouth and constant toking
may seem too much to me, but might be right on the nose for the average teen
reader. There is even a question as to
whether Evan has learned his lesson.
Near the end of the book he finds himself back in a situation almost
identical to where he was in the beginning.
The difference here is not so much Evan's mindset but the fact that he
has learned how to make friends. The
best part of the book, IMHO, are Evan's letters to “Collette” – a therapist
encouraged practice to examine his feelings and behaviors in a safe way. They end each chapter and provide most of the
insight on Evan's real internal journey.
Props, also, to Carolrhoda books, who created subtle imprints at the
beginning and end of each chapter of splashing water and bathroom tile. The tile, in particular, is very creepy as it
evokes a sense of prison bars, making real the sense Evan has of being
“trapped” by the demons created in this attack.
It's a book I think teenagers will like as the voices feel authentic …
but I'm not sure it has the “merit” necessary to defend it should there be
critics who feel it is “too much.”
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