In this Australian take on a teen-Dad-raising-a-baby story, newcomer Horniman offers readers a more literary and more emotional recounting than Margaret Bechard’s Hanging on to Max (2002). Matt’s daily schedule reflects the unending labor and delight that an infant brings, plus the sheer exhaustion of single parenting. Enchanted with his daughter, Matt fears that others will take over and labors to manage Magnolia all by himself. Learning that his caring for Magnolia doesn’t mean that he must do absolutely everything is at the heart of his struggle. While the Australian setting is vividly depicted, it doesn’t detract from the universality of the story, which is not told in first person, but by an omniscient narrator focused on Matt’s point of view. Roommates, friends, parents, and most of all Emmy, Magnolia’s mother, weave in and out of Matt’s life and thoughts. Sometimes painful in its depiction of the absolute focus required by a baby, this is not a glamorized version of parenthood. Matt’s choices are sometimes ridiculously incompetent, bordering on neglect, but the depth of his feeling for Magnolia provides him with an ability to learn how to do things better. The complexity that unfolds provides a depth unusual in a problem novel while remaining true to revealing the daunting labor involved in child-rearing. A refreshingly honest addition to the lean offerings depicting teen dads. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: April 8, 2003
ISBN: 0-375-82325-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2003
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
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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