Brian Katcher

Schon mal auf einer Sci-Fi-Comic-Convention gewesen? Ich noch nicht, aber nach dem Lesen dieses Buches hätte ich richtig Lust dazu. Denn der Autor hat dies so bilderreich und witzig beschrieben, dass ich mir am liebsten sofort eine Eintrittskarte dafür gekauft hätte. Leider ist nicht das ganze Buch so mitreißend, weshalb es nur für vergleichsweise wenig Sterne gereicht hat.
Ana und Zak, die beiden Hauptfiguren des Buches, haben nicht viel gemeinsam, wenn man davon absieht, dass sie auf show more dieselbe Schule gehen. Während Anas Leben nur aus Pflichten und Lernen zu bestehen scheint, genießt Zak das Leben und schenkt der Schule maximal so viel Aufmerksamkeit wie unbedingt nötig. Zufälligerweise nehmen Beide an einer Quiz-Meisterschaft in Seattle teil und als Anas kleiner Bruder verbotenerweise verschwindet, um auf die gleichzeitig stattfindende Sci-Fi-Comic-Con zu gehen, hilft Zak Ana, ihn dort wiederzufinden.
Zwei Jugendliche, die so unterschiedlich sind wie man es nur sein kann, auf der Suche nach einem 13jährigen Jungen auf einer schrägen Veranstaltung mit hunderten, wenn nicht sogar tausenden seltsamer Menschenwesen - das verspricht Verwicklungen und Chaos. Und dieses Versprechen wird gehalten, denn sie landen in einer gigantischen Schlacht, in der Ninjas, Konquistadoren, Wikinger, Kreuzritter, Orks, Zwerge undundund die Schlacht von Badon Hill nachstellen; Ana sprengt eines der wichtigsten Turniere des Festivals; Zak wird von einem wildgewordenen Wikinger gejagt - es geht drunter und drüber. Zu all dem werden beide in ein Gefühlschaos gestürzt, denn Zak findet Ana immer anziehender je weiter der Abend (bzw. die Nacht) voranschreitet und Ana muss feststellen, dass der scheinbare Hallodri ein verantwortungsbewusster und sympathischer junger Mann ist. Und dass Beide eine Vorstellung von ihrem jeweiligen Gegenüber haben, das nur in Teilen mit der Realität übereinstimmt.
Hört sich alles nicht schlecht an - und das ist es auch nicht. Wenn, ja wenn nur nicht der Anfang und das Ende wären. In einer Art erstem Teil werden die Konflikte dargestellt, die die beiden jungen Menschen mit bzw. wegen ihrer Eltern haben. Doch die Art, wie Ana und Zak damit umgehen, passt so gar nicht zu den Persönlichkeiten, die man ihm Laufe des Buches kennenlernt. Viel zu überzogen und wenig glaubwürdig handeln die Beiden; Zak wie ein pubertärer Zwölfjähriger und Ana wie ein kleines Mädchen ohne jedes Selbstvertrauen und Selbstbewusstsein. Am Ende hingegen wird diese chaotische Nacht durch eine Drogengeschichte noch derart gepusht, dass man fast glauben könnte, einen Actionthriller zu lesen. Dabei ist bereits derart viel geschehen, dass das überhaupt nicht nötig gewesen wäre.
So bleiben gemischte Gefühle: Ein toller Mittelteil mit einer Liebesgeschichte, die durchaus auch Jungs gefallen könnte - und ein Rest, bei dem weniger deutlich mehr gewesen wäre. Vielleicht beim nächsten Mal? show less

This is a beautiful, powerful, emotional read. It grabs you by the heart and gets into your head like few books I have ever read. It’s the first book in a very long time where I not only had no idea how it was going to end, but was sincerely concerned with how the situation would resolve itself.

I could write an essay about this book, what it meant to me, and how I feel about it. I loved it and I hated it. I was afraid to read another chapter, and I never wanted it to end. My head wants me show more to wrap Brian Katcher in my arms and thank him for such an amazing story, even as my heart wants me to pound on his chest and demand that he rewrite the ending.

I fell in love with these characters – Logan as much as Sage, to my surprise – and didn’t want to let them go . . . especially not like that.

Instead of an essay, though, I’d just like to touch on the things that Brian did so well:

1. He perfectly captures the awkwardness, the joy, and the sorrows of growing up. I didn’t go to high school with the characters, but a part of me wishes I did. It’s a small cast of characters we’re presented with, and there’s no space wasted on clichéd high school conflicts that don’t contribute to the story.

2. He has written a carefully-plotted story that is driven by a romance, not a romance that comprises a story in itself. There’s a significant difference there, in both style and approach, and it’s what makes this such a compelling read.

3. He presents us with a story that’s real, complete with all the flaws and all the unanswered questions of life. As much as my heart craves a tidy, happy ending, he really couldn’t (and shouldn’t) have ended it any other way. Having said that, I would not be at all disagreeable to reading a sequel that catches up with Sage somewhere down the road.

4. He sprinkles in just enough humour to relieve the tension, but never at the expense of the characters or the situation. The moments of humour are completely appropriate and very much appreciated.

5. He offers us an honest exploration of gender identity and expression, filtered through the eyes of an outsider. As fascinating and heart-breaking as Sage’s story is, it’s only by putting us inside Logan’s head that we’re able to truly appreciate her struggles. It’s what makes the story so widely accessible, while also helping to preserve the emotional and physical mystery.

Ultimately, this could just as easily been a story about racial, religious, or cultural identity. The elements of the story could have worked with any other struggle at the heart, but I dare say the book would not have been as powerful (or nearly so interesting). Through the question of Sage’s gender identity we also get to explore questions of sexual identity/orientation, particularly with Logan, who struggles with what it means to love a girl who used to be (and, from a purely biological standpoint, still is) a boy.

Brian Katcher’s novel is as brave as it is bold, and he’s to be applauded as much for his choice of subject, as for his talents as a story teller. show less

Katcher flawlessly channels the worried and confused voice of a straight teenage boy in this honest and uncompromising take on transgender love. High-school senior Logan is stunned when outgoing new girl Sage reveals she is biologically a boy after they kiss for the first time. Logan realistically cycles through denial, anger and anxiety, finally reaching acceptance but constantly wondering whether he is brave enough to shrug off the deeply ingrained conventions of his rural upbringing. Sage show more is just as candidly drawn, struggling to balance her fear of being found out with her need to be seen as a “normal” girl. Domestic drama and personal tragedy ensue, and while the ending is not necessarily a happy one, both characters come full circle and begin to better understand both themselves and each other. The author tackles issues of homophobia, hate crimes and stereotyping with humor and grace in an accessible tone that will resonate with teens who may not have encountered the issue of transgender identity before. An excellent companion piece to Ellen Wittlinger’s Parrotfish (2007) and Jean Ferris’s Eight Seconds (2000). (Fiction. 14 & up)

-Kirkus Review show less

Marley may be dead, but he's as much a character as anyone in this book. In fact, he reminds me of folks I've sat in AA meetings with over the years, crusty on the outside, but scratch them and you find they're filled with the marshmallow of regret. If our dead loved ones live on through our memories, then Marley is alive as anyone in the story. His unexpected death in a motorcycle accident hit his nephews the hardest. They, along with the Vanessa and Jessica, semi and not so semi love show more interests, all suffer from what I'll call the Fizbin of self-doubt. Aaron is held hostage by fear...fear that his beliefs aren't enough, fear that his adoption might somehow dissolve, leaving him alone. Kyler's albatross is his having been sickly in his infant years ailments that still have his mother keeping him in metaphorical diapers.
When the two boys spend time at Marley's fishing camp, a fond place for Kyler, but one Aaron never got a chance to visit, they're surprised by a scruffy dude who doesn't know they're there, and after they chase him off, Kyler finds an envelope with numerical clues. It's Jessica who realizes they're GPS coordinates and what ensues is a road trip to a park in South Carolina that unfolds like a Hope and Crosby road picture crossed with PG rated Bonnie and Clyde.
All four teens come to interesting realizations during this adventure and, while it at first seems like they've lost, the opposite is true and the book ends with a neat teaser. I hope that turns into a second book. show less