Really Ravishing Review (You)

Review of You, by Charles Benoit. Releases September 1st, 2010. Ages 14 and up.

Quickie: Thought-provoking and sad. I can see this being discussed in classrooms and book clubs in the future.

Full: You was good. (my poor brain desperately wants to fix that sentence.) This book is in second person, putting you in the position of Kyle, a 15 year old "hoodie". Known in other parts as the "stoners" or "freaks" or "low-lives". His parents and teachers all tell him he could do better, that he just isn't trying. He gets hounded for his clothes, his lack of job, car, girlfriend, etc. It's the story of today's out-of-reach teen and his ultimate destruction.

I'll be honest, the second person POV threw me at first. It's been a long while since I've read in the second person. But it worked. It succeeded in sucking the reader in and it certainly made it feel more dramatic.

You know the end of the story at the beginning, which seems like it would make the book pointless, but it's not. Like so many things in life, it's the journey, the getting there, that matters. You wonder if he had maybe chose differently, would it still end the same? What if his dad showed an interest? What if his mom didn't pester him all the time? What if he'd never met Zack? What if he'd never met Ashley? Would it have changed anything?

You was a refreshing read after so many recent books that have been so similar. I enjoyed it, sad though it was. If you read A Separate Peace and understood it and thought it interesting, you'll enjoy You. (Heck... even if you didn't like A Separate Peace, you'll probably like You. You is a much more modern book, and it's easy to relate to)

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

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