Right Behind You by Gail Giles

When I was a teenager, I loved "young adult" books. My local library had a small section devoted to YA fiction, and I literally read my way through the entire collection, A to Z. I wallowed in the angst of teen pregnancies, paralyzing accidents, dread diseases, dying siblings. (This was the 80's, and angst was in.) YA has a lot in common with romance - most YA books have hopeful endings, even if they aren't perfect tied-with-a-bow HEA's, and there's a strong message of redemption. (No wonder I felt like I'd come home when I discovered Balogh and Kinsale.)

Despite my great love of angsty stories, I haven't had much luck reading YA in recent years. I've been told that there are major gems in the YA genre these days, and I've gotten lots of recommendations. But these days, I find the teenage characters a bit hard to take. I must be old - I just can't relate to them any more. But happily, there are exceptions, and I'm really glad I read about this one on the Dear Author web site. (Thanks!)

Right Behind You by Gail Giles
(2007, Contemporary Young Adult) 2/5/08
Grade: 4

In this YA book, Kip McFarland struggles with the aftermath of his terrible crime. When he was nine, he set a seven year old neighbor on fire and killed him. After four years in a psychiatric hospital, he has to rebuild his life, while keeping his identity strictly secret. That may be too much for Kip to bear.

The book is divided into three sections, and the book’s strengths and weaknesses are also divided between the sections. The first section, mostly devoted to Kip’s years in the psychiatric hospital, is the shortest, but also the most vivid and realistic. The author does an amazing job at showing Kip’s thought processes, emotional problems, and gradual healing, in just 50 pages. This could easily have filled an entire book on its own. The second section is also vivid, but it jumps a bit too quickly from year to year. But the secondary characters are well drawn, and there are some moments of painful truth that really worked. The third section was the real weakness of the book. It’s the longest section, but it feels padded. As much as I love a good romance, Sam felt like an intrusion here. Her problems were far too convenient, and the resolution too pat. As much as I appreciate a happy ending, it didn’t feel real the way the earlier parts of the book did - a hopeful but less glossy resolution might have worked better. Still, this is a book that really makes you think, and I’m very glad I read it.

This book could easily have been a lecture (and a lot of the reviews make it sound that way). But it's not. The author shows you a person, and lets you decide for yourself. I wish it had been a little tighter at the end, less "movie of the week", but that's a small weakness compared to the rest.