1.21.2010

WHOA - The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan

I'm not going to lie...I'm not much of a mystery/suspense fan.  I get nervous when I'm home alone, I jump at every bump or creak the house makes, loud cars that go by at night startle me.  So, with all of that in mind, I was a little nervous when I picked up Andrew Klavan's latest young adult novel, The Long Way Home.

Charlie West does not remember the last year of his life.  His best friend is dead and he has been convicted.  He is running, though from the good guys or the bad guys, he is not sure.  All he knows is that his life is on the line and he needs to keep moving.

Boy, was I blown away.  I had decided I wasn't going to read it until the weekend because my husband would be home then and I wouldn't be as scared, but when my friend who is coming to visit for the weekend said he would be here this evening, I decided it would be a great way to start my relaxation as the semester is coming to an end (giving and grading a scantron freshman final tomorrow then I'm done! :)  Woo hoo!).  I got in the bath with the book to read for half an hour, an hour max.

Two and a half hours later, I emerged, pruny as could be, and I sat on my bed in awe.  During my two and a half hour bath, I entered a world of intrigue, lies, truths, chaos, love, fear, friends,  hope, but most of all, teenage boy.  Charlie is real and the life he is living jumps off the pages.  His faith is real, his doubts are real.  His passion for truth is inspiring.  And, boy, can he fight!

What a tangled, beautiful web Klavan weaves.  His storytelling is seamless and seems to go by frustratingly quickly.  I wanted the book to never end, but end it did with my interest piqued for the third book in the Homelanders' series.  My only complaint is that the next book doesn't come out until November 2010.  So far away!

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