You & You & You
Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Swedish magical realism comes alive in this mature, sometimes graphically sexual and violent, ultimately breathtaking and inspiring tale of three unconnected, deeply cerebral misfits whose complicated paths cross in a life-altering way in the end. How a 12-year-old who always wears blue galoshes and thinks that his father is a god, a beautiful but lonely young woman, and a dreamy teen who is obsessed with death become acquainted and have a huge impact on one another is at the heart of this quirky and lovely novel. There's a heady mix of light and dark themes, gritty language and whimsical behavior, disturbing moments and transcendent beauty. Many of the older YA readers to whom this book is directed will likely come away with a feeling of being somehow transformed or at least being given much to ponder. This is an outstanding offering that will stand proudly next to such YA literary gems as Aidan Chambers'sPostcards from No Man's Land(Dutton, 2002), Kate Morgenroth'sJude(S & S, 2004), Stephen Chbosky'sThePerks of Being a Wallflower(MTV, 1999), and Garret Freymann-Weyr'sMy Heartbeat(Houghton, 2002).–Jeff Katz, School of Library, Archival, & Information Studies, University of British ColumbiaCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.