Thursday, September 16, 2010

ARC Tour & Review: The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

The absolute value of any number, positive or negative, is its distance from zero: |-1| = 1

Noah, Lily, and Simon have been a trio forever. But as they enter high school, their relationships shift and their world starts to fall apart. Privately, each is dealing with a family crisis—divorce, abuse, and a parent's illness. Yet as they try to escape the pain and reach out for the connections they once counted on, they slip—like soap in a shower. Noah’s got it bad for Lily, but he knows too well Lily sees only Simon. Simon is indifferent, suddenly inscrutable to his friends. All stand alone in their heartache and grief.

We all know that no two people are the same.  Everyone deals with different situations, everyone has an image they want to project to others, and everyone deals with problems (be they big or small) at some point in their lives.  Steve Brezenoff introduces us to Noah, Lily and Simon and gives us a taste of his take on relationships and what brings us together and the distance that is inevitably between us.

I've really become a fan of author's giving us multiple narrators and points of views.  This book is broken into sections, each featuring one of the characters and giving us their story.  Each section may seem like you'll be given the same version of the same story, but by hearing and seeing it through each respective character you really start to understand how there is more than one side to every story.  It also becomes obvious that every little detail affects every individual differently.

Brezenoff doesn't give his readers fairy tales or sugar coated story lines.  The issues he brought to the table are real and they're not all pleasant.  Drug use, abuse, heart break and the like.  Unfortunately these are also not subjects people are unfamiliar with.  Readers will be able to relate in some way shape, or form and will be able to appreciate how Brezenoff wove his creation together.

I gave The Absolute Value of -1 3 shamrocks!!!


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