Post #3

Dear Readers,
Sometimes I am a distracted reader - that is where I am right now.  I am reading three books right now: Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix, Ask the Passengers, and Public Enemy, a memoir; it's not pretty!  I am going to write about Ask the Passengers.  This is written by A.S. King who also wrote the book I booktalked (is that a verb? I don't think so but I just made it one!) last week, Everybody Sees the Ants.  A.S. King is a very good writer. The narrator's voice is always quite strong and as a reader, you feel 'let in' by the narrator, like you and the narrator share secrets and you are there with s/he as we move through the story.  I am going to focus this post on the main character, Astrid.

Astrid is a junior in high school who recently moved from the 'big city' to a small town.  Her mother is a bit of a nightmare.  She's completely focused on her career and her social standing within this small community.  Her father is completely different; there are hints that the marriage between these two people is not going well.  Her sister is a hockey star.  Astrid, on the other hand, is bookworm, an intellectual, and an interesting person who is trying to figure out in her own way whether she's gay or not.  She has a part time job and has a relationship with someone who works with her.  The girlfriend is out, Astrid is not.  At least not right away.

The book focuses on Astrid as she tries to make sense of who she is and the tugs and pulls she gets from all the different people in her life: her friends, her girlfriend, and her family.  She's a very independent person but her homosexuality is forcing her to reveal herself her true self - and as of yet, she's not ready to do it yet.

I am not a teenager - wow, really, Ms. Ruocco?!!!? but I believe what makes King's narrative so strong is the authenticity and complexity of her teen characters.  They are not cardboard cutouts but young people, thinking, feeling, honestly trying to make sense of their world.  I thought similarly of her other book, Everybody Sees The Ants.  I am curious to see where Astrid finally 'lands'.  I recommend this book to all of you!