Nothing by Robin Friedman

Title: Nothing
Author: Robin Friedman
Pages: 232
Publisher: Flux
Publication Date: August 1, 2008

This short novel examines the life of a boy with bulimia. Parker Rabinowitz, 17, is good-looking, smart, and rich; he's bound to get into Princeton. He is expected to maintain perfect grades, participate in multiple extracurricular activities and service projects, and, in other words, be the perfect son. His sister, Danielle, is jealous of the attention he gets, but she is the first to notice that something is terribly wrong. Parker is binging uncontrollably, and then forcing himself to vomit. What starts out as an occasional stress release becomes an obsession controlling his life. His downward spiral climaxes when he convulses in his bathroom. He is rushed to the hospital, and after his "recovery" begins therapy.

Everyone thinks Parker Rabinowitz has everything; looks, talent, athleticism, and intelligence. He's on the path to HYP (Harvard Yale Princeton)...In other words, he's the perfect guy with the perfect college application. Everyone loves him, adores him, or admires him. But none of them, even his parents, notice his changed attitude, his warped mood swings, and his lack of confidence. Everybody except his sister. She notices his behavior and eventually finds out he's been making himself vomit. He's become completely bulimic and hurts the people around him in the process of his downward spiral. "Sometimes trees can look healthy on the outside, but actually be dying on the inside. These trees fall unexpectedly during a storm." These words have never rung so true.

Trapped in a world of stress and responsibility, Parker finds reassurance through bulimic actions like vomiting. Guys with bulimia is a topic that is uncommon and different from other stories. Friedman connects bulimia with high-school stress; the stress most teenagers are familiar to at school. The pressure and expectations are portrayed authentically through Parker's POV and seeing through his eyes is a whirlwind of emotions and problems, and his inability to accept himself echoes throughout every decision he makes.

Nothing is a half verse novel, half real novel. Danielle's narrative is mostly in broken poetry while Parker's is the novel part of the story. Her narration is filled with clarity and bluntness that could only be a second child's perspective.

Sometimes, throughout the novel, Parker with his stress and problems fall flat and get confusing. Parker and Danielle are the only characters that I really got to know and their friends are two-dimensional and unoriginal. Parker's relationship with Julianne is weird and unconventional...seemingly too predictable and useless. B+ =)

The Bottom Line: Nothing is a novel that I think, everyone should read. But although it's unique and interesting, the delivery of the novel was not as good as it could have been.

---Report Card---
Originality: 10/10
Ending: 7/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 8/10
Theme: 9/10
Imagery: 7/10
Setting: 4/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 4/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 8/10
Total Score: 83/100 (B+)

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A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

Title: A Mango-Shaped Space
Author: Wendy Mass
Pages: 240
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Publication Date: October 19, 2005

Everyone thinks I named my cat Mango because of his orange eyes, but that's not the case. I named him Mango because the sounds of his purrs and his wheezes and his meows are all various shades of yellow-orange...

Mia appears to be the most normal kid in her family. Her younger brother keeps a chart of all the hamburgers he's eaten. Her older sister dyes her hair a different color every week. But Mia knows she is far from ordinary. She is keeping something from everyone: sounds, numbers, and letters have color for her. When school trouble finally forces Mia to reveal her secret, she feels like a freak. She embarks on an intense journey of self-discovery, and by the time she realized she has isolated herself from everyone who cares about her, it's almost too late. She has to lose something very special in order to find herself.

Note: I borrowed A Mango-Shaped Space from a friend of mine. She said that it was really good. I wanted to see it for myself. She was right.

A Mango-Shaped Space is about thirteen-year-old Mia, having a rare condition called Synesthesia. This means that she sees letters, numbers, and words in color. This book is original. That's the best word to describe it. Before A Mango-Shaped Space, I've never heard about Synesthesia. This made me more aware of the fact that other kids or teenagers just like us, are having a difficult time because of this condition. After reading this, I became all the more thankful.

Mia was a compelling and admirable character. She was brave and naive but very mature for her age. If I had Synesthesia, I'd probably go crazy! Mia's family was one of the aspects of this book that made it special. They were all eccentric and nutty. I found her brother to be the wierdest of all though. I don't know anyone who makes Hamburgur charts. At one point, I truly felt sorry for Mia. Nobody understood her; not her friends, not her family-nobody. This frustrated me. In the real world, aren't people supposed to be more empathetic and more patient towards someone like Mia?

Mass completely captured a thirteen-year-old's point of view. Even though Mia was mature for her age, her youth still struck out every once in a while. That's what I admire most about Mass and her books. Mass's execution of the book was-in ONE word-flawless. I flew through the entire book. Never once did I get bored. Her writing flowed smoothly and effortlessly. Simple, and innocent.

The Bottom Line: Mass truly delivered on this one. A Mango-Shaped Space is a not-to-be-missed YA novel that would surely capture and move your hearts. A :-)

---Report Card---
Originality: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 9.5/10
Setting: 4/5
Voice: 4.5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 8/10
Total Score: 92/100 (A)

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