Skip to main content

DYING TO KNOW YOU by Aidan Chambers


copyright date: April 2012
primarily marketed for: young adults (14 and up)

Dying to Know You by Aidan Chambers was a book I couldn’t wait to read because of what I’d read about it.  Negative reviews said things about it being narrated by the voice of an older man, an eccentric author.  They said teens wouldn’t be able to relate to his voice.  I was sure that wouldn’t be true.  Positive reviews said things about what a powerful story the book told. 

Having read the book, I have determined that it is definitely not the kind of story everyone would enjoy.  It is a very philosophical story.  If you are not an intellectual sort of reader, this would not be the book for you.  However, if you are the kind of person who wonders about his place in the world, about why people act the way they do, about his purpose in life, then the is most definitely the book for you.  You will be as charmed by Karl as I was. 

Karl’s story is largely told through the voice of an author who his girlfriend admires.  Karl seeks out the author in an effort to convince the author to help him write his thoughts and feelings in a manner that would impress his girlfriend, who has no idea about his dyslexia. 

The eccentric, aged author narrating the story does not move the focus from Karl’s story to his own story, but rather provides a wisdom in looking at Karl’s situation that we wouldn’t get as readers if the story were told in Karl’s voice, from his point of view.

As the author helps Karl find ways to express his thoughts and feelings for his girlfriend, he ultimately helps Karl deal with loss and find his purpose in life. 

This is not a light read by any means, but it is the kind of story that will stick to your ribs and fill you up. 

Reading Threads:
Notes from the Dog by Gary Paulsen
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Although this is not a reading thread, I have to mention that this book reminds of the movie Finding Forrester (one of my favorites)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TAKE WHAT YOU CAN CARRY by Kevin C. Pyle

copyright date: March 2012 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) Despite the fact that the teacher in me sees so many lesson possibilities in Kevin C. Pyle’s graphic novel Take What You Can Carry , you should read it simply for the grace of its stories.   The artwork is as striking as the stories it tells.   Using artwork in two different colors and styles, Pyle tells the stories of two teenage boys living years and miles apart.   And yet, he communicates the universality in their experiences.   One boy is a Japanese American forced to move into an internment camp during WWII.   His family struggles to maintain their dignity and sense of peace under unbearable conditions. The other is a rebellious boy with an attitude whose reckless behavior causes him to wind up in trouble with the law.   To make amends, he finds himself completing community service hours in the most unlikely place.   I found my...
1 comment
Read more

THE SEA IN WINTER by Christine Day

  release date: January 5, 2021 primarily marketed for: Middle grades The Sea in Winter  by Christine Day is a gift to its readers. It is a book of quiet strength with much to offer.  Maisie is a ballet dancer who feels most herself when she is at the dance studio. However, at the start of this story, Maisie is coping with a serious knee injury that prevents her from dancing long-term. She misses her friends from dance and struggles to maintain those connections when she is no longer part of the dancing life they shared.  When her mom and stepdad plan a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula to visit sites of familial and cultural significance, Maisie stubbornly overworks her healing knee. She is determined to heal and return to the studio  faster than expected. Although her knee is the only focus of Maisie's wellness journey, it turns out there is more to healing than physical fitness.  Maisie is a quietly compelling character, but I was surprised to find myse...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF AIDAN S. (as told to his brother) by David Levithan

 copyright date: February 2, 2021 primarily marketed for: Middle Grades I devoured this one in a single sitting. The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother)  by David Levithan is the book I did not know I needed.  The story opens when Aidan S. has gone missing. His parents are distraught. His brother, Lucas, is beside himself. The town is pitching in to help search. As the days pass, the outcome looks more and more grim.  And then Aidan shows up in the attic, wearing the same pajamas he had on when he left, and everyone wants answers. Is he alright? Where was he? What made him disappear?  Although Aidan's story is the driving force behind this novel, it is really Lucas's story readers enter. When Aidan returns with an explanation beyond belief, Lucas is left to decide what really matters. Levithan hints at classic tales, but his perspective is uniquely fresh and inventive. Readers will be left thinking about what really makes a story true....
Post a Comment
Read more