Picture this: A kid lives in a geodesic dome with his grandmother. He's raised there under her tutelage until her illness coaxes him to expand his horizons. His experiences outside of his dome world bring him to realizations that his grandmother never intended for him to have.
Wow! Sounds strange--and it is! The main character, Sebastian Prendergast, is an interesting subject, to be sure. He's been educated, after all, on the philosophy of one R. Buckminster Fuller, an American architect, author, designer, and inventor.
Jared Whitcomb is Sebastian's introduction to all things new in the "real world." Jared is a chain-smoking teenager who has a dream to start his own punk-rock band, but little does he realize that his dream will soon come true, though not exactly as he planned.
This book held my attention throughout. The characters, believe it or not, were rather convincing. Bognanni does a great job to portray modern life for today's teen without souring the story in the process. 30 years ago I would have balked at some of the language and actions of these characters, but having experienced today's frayed American society, none of this was unbelievable. As I read about a kid smoking in his own home, at the age of 16, it didn't really shock me. And on the other end of the spectrum, a home-schooled kid kept far from the average societal norm isn't at all unbelievable either. The way the two meet is even more possible.
In most books there is a message, be it hidden, muffled, buried, or right out there in your face. With this book, I haven't quite determined what the message is nor how deeply buried. And yet the author still does a great job of keeping the reader reading.
In the end, though I was satisfied that I'd experienced the story, I wondered where the feelings got lost. Sebastian develops a bit of a relationship with a girl in the story, but we're left wondering what happens next. And even Sebastian's relationship with his grandmother sort of hangs out there in the end.
I would certainly recommend this book. You may find something, in the conclusion, that I didn't.
7/10
Reading leaves you thinking,
Steve
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