The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To by D.C. Pierson

If you never had to sleep just think of all the things you could do. If you didn’t get tired but could stay up all night to do whatever you wanted, what would you do? Oh the possibilities. Think of all those things you’ve wanted to do but didn’t because you were just too exhausted. Well, 15 year old Eric Lederer has lived one consecutive day, never sleeping, always conscious, for as long as he can remember. But someone dangerously mysterious comes looking for him.

Pierson’s novel is hilarious. I laughed. My husband laughed at the quotes I read him. Written from Darren’s perspective (Eric’s best friend) the novel captures the daily lives of two nerdy, sci-fi loving teenagers. I enjoyed Darren’s reactions to Eric’s secret ranging from disbelief to awe. This novel felt really present to me. Pierson is able to capture suburban culture very well perhaps, I think, because he is such a young writer. It’s like he speaks my language (culturally speaking). The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep explores all the aspects of an average young adults’ life as well as some unusual ones. I could relate to the Red Bull chugging, video-game playing, suburban existence of these kids. Ultimately, I think Pierson’s novel is a coming of age story about friendship.

This is a very 21st-century novel. The text is graphic at least twice about sex. The language is very colorful. And drugs are involved in their attempts to test Eric’s sleepless limits. I’ll have to say that I am usually pretty turned off by these elements. And the text would have been great without the raciness because there is a good story to tell. But Pierson is a great writer and doesn’t use language and sex in a merely gratuitous way. It feels like a natural part of these boys’ lives, like what many teenagers do and witness, as they stumble along the growing up cycle. Although considered a cross-marked title (an adult book that appeals to teens), I found it in the adult section. So, I don’t recommend it for very young teens as the content may make them feel uncomfortable.

My favorite part of this book (besides the humor) is the creative story-line. This kid really never sleeps and it leads to a whole lot of wild and bizarre adventures across the Arizona desert. My least favorite part was the ending. It wasn’t bad just not what I wanted/expected. It reminds me of the end of an X-files episode where Agent Scully effectively debunks the abnormal happening but Agent Moulder finds the wiggle room to still believe. That’s an inadequate analogy but the best I can do without spoiling anything!

Publisher: Vintage Books, 2010     Pages: 227
Rating: 3.5 Stars     Source: IC Public Library  

The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti

For this text I will begin with the negative and move into the positive. That’s the simplest way, I think, to do a review for it.

This novel has been on my bookshelf for several months and, after a previous attempt to read it, I finally made a point to finish it. So, as you can imagine the text was not an attention grabber. Although I liked Ren, the twelve-year-old orphaned protagonist, I had a difficult time connecting with him and caring about what happened to him (or the rest of the characters). Tinti does a good job at capturing childhood in poverty. Ren is naive, likes to collect rocks and gets into fist fights with his friends – a pretty normal boy for the most part save his missing hand. The elements for character development are all there but maybe I’m too old (and perhaps being a girl doesn’t help me) to really connect with Ren. The story was a bit unbelievable but I could suspend my beliefs enough to enjoy the plot; however, the plot was predictable. When the answers behind Ren’s missing hand were revealed I felt disappointed. I don’t like being able to see every twist coming and I saw too many beforehand. And the ending is very happily ever after. Now, I do like happy endings, and not everything is perfect for Ren, but the ending seemed too good to be true (even with suspended beliefs). I did like Dolly, the good-hearted murderer (yes, the murderer was my favorite character). Otherwise the players in the plot didn’t do much to enhance the story for me. The real villains needed to be much darker and menacing. As to the prose, it is good in the sense that it is grammatically correct. But it stinks in the sense of enjoyable reading. Tinti can write very well but the prose was too standard and well, boring. I fell asleep reading more than once. There were some high moments when action started happening in which I became excited to read on. I kept thinking, ok, it’s going to get better now, but then those moments passed and it was a long time before another came along.

On to the positive. The Good Thief is a recipient of the Alex Award which, in a nut shell, is given to adult books which appeal to young adult readers (age 12-18). I can see this novel appealing to teachers who are tired of reading/teaching Oliver Twist. There are many similarities between the two novels: orphans, con-men, poverty. The depth of Dickens is hard to achieve and his work is definitely better. But I think many a ninth-grader would rather read Tinti than Dickens. I remember reading Oliver Twist as an adult and it was hard to get through. What I appreciate about YA in general (70% of the time, perhaps) and the Alex recipients (I’ve read two so far) is that the stories are fast passed, the foul language is toned down or non-existent and there are few if any “sex scenes.” These are not hard and fast guarantees but definitely factors that draw me to the genre. On top of these qualities, the Alex recipients I’ve read manage to retain an edginess – sometimes scary or unexpected moments – which I enjoy. I plan to read more in the future. I enjoyed the historical info on American dentistry and medicine during the 19th century which adds that edginess I mentioned (think cadavers). The story shows the resiliency of the human spirit and how one good deed can open the door to many positive outcomes. So, wrapping up, I liked this book for its potential to offer young adults different reading. But personally I wasn’t that into The Good Thief. I hope Tinti digs deeper into her writing well and comes back with something better.
Publisher: Dial Press Trade, 2008     Source: Barnes and Noble            Pages: 327
Rating: 3 Stars                                 Recommended Age: 14 and up