A review by heykellyjensen
The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World, by Amy Reed
The boy in the story -- Billy -- and the girl in the story -- Lydia -- are best friends when their small town rival high schools are merged into a single building. They made the decision out of force and by choice, which is one of the biggest themes in this bizarre and strange and weird and awesome book about family, found and made, reminiscent of the work of Shaun David Hutchinson.
The story is set in an impoverished community and deals with social class well, as well as deals with what it's like to live in a place known for something weird (in this case, Unicorns vs. Dragons the book series ala Twilight, as well as the birth place of famous rock star legend Caleb, ala Kurt Cobain).
There's a speculative undertone in the story, though much of it is grounded in reality. Lydia is a Filipina girl with no connections to her heritage but a desire to connect with it, and Billy is a boy from a broken family with the famous Uncle Caleb. Likewise, Reed pulls no punches including aspects of current political realities within this world, bringing in The King, modeled after the current president.
More on this one soon, but it's a wild, weird ride full of characters who are wild and weird. Though it's a little odder than Reed's previous books, her writing voice and the well-developed voices of her characters are all there.
The story is set in an impoverished community and deals with social class well, as well as deals with what it's like to live in a place known for something weird (in this case, Unicorns vs. Dragons the book series ala Twilight, as well as the birth place of famous rock star legend Caleb, ala Kurt Cobain).
There's a speculative undertone in the story, though much of it is grounded in reality. Lydia is a Filipina girl with no connections to her heritage but a desire to connect with it, and Billy is a boy from a broken family with the famous Uncle Caleb. Likewise, Reed pulls no punches including aspects of current political realities within this world, bringing in The King, modeled after the current president.
More on this one soon, but it's a wild, weird ride full of characters who are wild and weird. Though it's a little odder than Reed's previous books, her writing voice and the well-developed voices of her characters are all there.