Robin is 13, and his family life is the picture of mediocrity: New Jersey suburbs in the late 70s, boring high-school with its collection of jocks and nerds, and parents who are in different orbits. His mom is sensitive and cultured. Robin is her little pal. They escape to NYC often, and spend the day visiting museums. Robin's dad has a special affinity for the youngest son, Jackson, who is a little jock. The middle child, Ruby, falls through the cracks, like it often happens with middle children.

Robin's family life gets shattered when little Jackson falls from the slide in the playground and breaks his neck. Life as he knew it unravels. At the same time, Robin starts becoming aware of the fact that he is gay.

I love the sublety with which Robin's sexual awakening is described. Above all, this is a coming-of-age story. Robin crosses the line between childhood and adulthood in a very unsmooth way. The focus of the book is not his homosexuality, but the complexity of growing up when you are conflicted about your parents, about right and wrong, about doing the right thing. It is a novel of self-discovery. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This BookRay spun out of a RABCK offer. Everybody gave me such a good argument for wanting the book that I simply could not decide who should get it. So now everyone who asked for it gets to read it. Hope you enjoy it!

LyekkaMarengo - Pennsylvania (mailed August 30, 2006)
yourotherleft - Pennsylvania
mrsjones - Ohio

Not quite sure how this one escaped being journaled but I have the book and have started reading it so I'm PM'ing the next person for address.

Coming of age story or rather a coming to some sort of understanding about the world and how you may or may not fit into it story. At the start of the book Robin's family and situation are really no different than many suburban kids except that he already feels as if he is different and at one point he "Waits for a clue as to how it all works, this whole world of normal boys." Then as he is beginning to suspect that his sexuality may be part of what is different from this world of Normal Boys, his life and family go into free fall as his bother Jackson lies in a coma with a broken neck, which Robin blames himself for. As he deals with this new, undeserved guilt and the turmoil in his own family his explorations and actions become foreign and confusing to both him and especially to his distraught family. Robin gets involved with two boys much different from the boy he has been up to now, perhaps leading him to begin to question this whole "normal boys" thing. And even though Robin has always thought he was the only confused and searching teenager, his interactions with them and even his mother show that no one has a corner on that market. Some of the comptemplations seem a little deep for a 13 year old but then I'm more than a few years removed from that age so I may just not remember. Here's a couple of my favs:

"...he always wakes sure of his own guilt. It stays with him each minute of the day, a slight burning flame in the back of his mind. Unseen, contstant as a pilot light."

"The problem with taking risks, Robin realizes, is that you don't know what you're getting into."

"A switch has been flicked and he is now a stranger to himself - a stranger he has not yet decided he wants to be."

BTW the language in this book is at times quite graphic so this is definately a mature reader's book. I'd be hesitant to wild release it.

Thanks for the ring.

Mailing today to yourotherleft in Bloomsburg, PA.

This came in the mail today. I'll read it and pass it on as soon as I can. Thanks!

Wow, didn't realize I'd had this for so long. I just finished reading it today. It took me awhile to get into it, I was finding it a bit too put-downable, but it grew on me. I appreciated how Robin came of age and how he changes from someone who allows others to define who he is to defining himself. His spineless-ness at the beginning of the book is downright irritating, but it serves to highlight the change in him as he grows up. I loved the last chapter, it was a fantastic way to show how much Robin had grown throughout the story...the whole dynamic of his relationship seems to shift from what it was earlier in the book and shows that Robin is beginning to see who himself for who he is and embracing that idea of himself.

Thanks for sharing, GorgeousGlo. I've got mrsjones' address, and I'll get this out in the mail on Monday.

I received this in the mail today. I have two chapters left in the book I'm currently reading, and then I'll eagerly start this one. Thanks!

I wanted to read this book because I spent my teenage years in New Jersey right around the same time this book is set, and thought it might be a blast from the past. It wasn't at all. But it was riveting. I couldn't put it down at times; at other times, I was very uncomfortable. Reading about a 14-year-old masturbating isn't exactly my cup of tea. Especially since I have a teen-aged son and don't want to think about it. I go out of my way to avoid the issue at home (that's what fathers are here for, right?). The parts with Robin & Scott and Robin & Todd didn't bother me, though. Go figure. I guess what I enjoyed was the author's portrayal of how confusing it all is to be that age, dealing with homosexuality AND heterosexuality.

The mother's character was intriguing. So was the father's, for that matter. I felt like we got a whole picture of what was going on in the family and how easily the structure of a family can fall apart and what kids can do when they find themselves "free" from watchful eyes. If that makes sense. I was reading it and started to wonder whether Robin would have started smoking so much pot and hanging out with Scott if his family weren't dealing with Jackson's medical situation. Would his experiences be different? I think they would. Of course, he'd still be gay, but I think his activities would have been much different if his parents had been home parenting him.

The book also comes at a terrible time for me. A little girl here in our school district suffered a very similar accident and is in a coma. It brings the whole story much closer to home and I keep wondering how the family dynamics are playing out for the real family nearby while they go through such a terrible ordeal with their youngest daughter.

Anyway - great book. I'm sure I won't forget it.

RELEASE NOTES:

I left this book at the OBCZ when I stopped to pick up another one. Hopefully it will find an appreciative reader.

Warning! Spoilers ahead - I can't really say I liked this book... I could have done without the whole dead brother plotline, and I wasn't overly thrilled by the adult characters, though I recognize that their roles were necessary to create the environment in which the main character (oops, I've forgotten his name) makes the transition from childhood to adulthood. That said, some of the main character's experiences rang so incredibly true for me that for the moment I intend to hang on to the book. In particular the scene where he reflects on the fact that it's wrong for him to take an interest in other boys genitals, but they can get away with naming their penises and streaking and it's acceptable... such is "the world of normal boys." I can identify with the feelings of being an outsider to this world, and the desire to be accepted into it even while knowing I'll always be an alien there.

I may release the book in the future, but I think I need to read it again before doing so.

CAUGHT IN GRANDVIEW OHIO USA