Dad is terminally ill, and Phillip's parents have left their midwestern farm and moved to New England. Now, Dad's hands grow soft while he watches TV; Mom is overprotective and has too little to do in a suburban house. Phillip's job at an animal hospital offers camaraderie, but not always comfort: together, he and the vets agonize over the pain that owners inflict on their pets and the deaths of discarded kittens. Feeling alienated at school, Phillip escapes to an abandoned house in the woods, to which he brings two rescued kittens. Though the school's best response is to wonder whether he's suicidal, Phillip does have supportive friends, especially nice Kris, in his class, and her sensible Aunt Mil. But his parents are so self-absorbed, and his own unrecognized grief for his father is so intense that Phillip is withdrawing not only from school but from other relationships. A turning point comes when his mother is called away, leaving Phillip in charge. At first his father's suddenly revealed craving to be alone feels like rejection, but it triggers some healthy realizations about how all the members of this nice but repressed family need to level with each other, reach out, and have something of value to do. Here, Haas—choosing telling words and incidents with unusual care—draws a perceptive portrait of a teenager of integrity, grappling with his parents' pain and his own. A fine performance, expanding on the concerns for animal rights and the characters introduced in The Sixth Sense (1988). (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: Oct. 23, 1992
ISBN: 0-688-10179-8
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1992
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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