Teen Fiction - Body, Mind & Health, Teen Fiction - Choices & Transitions, Teen Fiction - Boys & Young Men, Teen Fiction - Family & Relationships, Teen Fiction - Romance & Friendship
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Overview
A teen revives the legacy of his lost brother in this compelling novel from the author of Inexcusable, a National Book Award finalist.
When Eric’s brother Duane dies, his world breaks in two. Duane was his best friend—possibly his only friend. And Eric isn’t sure how to live in a world without Duane in it. Desperate to find a piece of his brother to hold on to, Eric decides to meet some of the people who received Duane’s organs.
He expects to meet perfect strangers. Instead he encounters people who become more than friends and almost like family—people who begin to help Eric put the pieces of his life back together for good.
From internationally acclaimed author Chris Lynch comes a gripping and enduring exploration of loss and recovery—and a long-awaited sequel to the celebrated Iceman.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
"I am seventeen years old. Or I was, before my big shitslice of a brother went diving into the quarry and broke his neck and his skull and my grip on the world... Now I'm about seven," says Eric, who still feels unmoored and angry one year after his brother's death. Unable to connect to his parents and weighing whether to enter the Navy, Eric seeks out the recipients of Duane's organ donations in hopes of finding solace. Obnoxious Barry has (and intends to abuse) Duane's liver; a gentle teenager, Phil, is overcome with gratitude for Duane's inner-ear bones; and an attractive young mother, Melinda, has his kidney. Readers get to know Duane through the conversations Eric keeps up with him in his mind, and Duane's snarky philosophical phrases ("It's a long fall, off a high horse. Remember that, Brother") appear between chapters. When Duane's pushy ex, Martha, reenters Eric's life, she ignites familiar and confusing emotions. Using succinct prose, Lynch creates a smart, raw story about redefining oneself after loss. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)Booklist
"Lynch paints a cast of indelible characters, even secondary players, with a deft, sensitive hand. And despite the specificity of Eric’s circumstances, his complicated, shifting emotions are immediately resonant. Though the complex family dynamic (and strange affinity for death) explored in Iceman adds nuance to the proceedings here, this novel stands on its own, rewarding new readers with a tender exploration of just what it means to bewhole."
BCCB
"Poignantly credible...Lynch is the great laureate of American guyhood, and he writes with fierce compassion about a kid who relishes the angry rush of punching men but abhors the thought of a woman he cares for being abused. While the complexity of the situation adds an interesting dimension, at its core this is a story of loss and identity, of a young man finding out who he is through the legacy of the brother who taught him who he was."Kirkus Reviews
A teenage boy seeks connections with the people who received his beloved brother's donated organs in this darkly humorous novel by the author of Inexcusable (2005). A year after his 20-year-old brother Duane died in a diving accident, 18-year-old Eric still can't seem to move forward. In an attempt to keep the "nothingness that is filling the Duane space" from taking hold, he reaches out to three of the donors who received his brother's "pieces." After meeting shy, redheaded Phil, brassy Barry and sweet single mom Melinda, Eric finds himself constantly asking the questions, "Who are these people? Who are they, to me? Who am I, to them?" Duane's outspoken and softhearted ex-girlfriend Martha dispenses advice and comic relief as Eric puzzles out the answers and tries not to fall for beautiful Melinda, who is eight years his senior. As these unusual relationships take root, Eric realizes that what the donors are to him is a freshly minted family that helps ease the pain of the one that he lost. Each character springs fully formed off the page, and Lynch's irreverent, inventive dialogue crackles, turning what could have easily been a maudlin soap opera into a sharply observed story of real human connection. Readers will be pleasantly reminded of the snarky stylings of John Green and Ned Vizzini. Exceptional. (Fiction. 12 & up)School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—It has been three years since the events recorded in Iceman (HarperCollins, 1994), Lynch's novel about 14-year-old Eric, a tough and angry hockey player who struggles to understand his feelings and his place in his family. In those years, Eric has given up the sport and, more significantly, his older brother has died after a diving accident. At the start of Pieces, Eric is attempting to process his feelings, especially now that bits and pieces of Duane have been transplanted and live on in the bodies of strangers. Eric initiates a meeting with three of the recipients: a sweet teen named Phil, who benefits from Duane's inner-ear bones; the "überhot" Malinda, a young mom who received Duane's kidney; and the antagonistic and heavy-drinking Barry, who lives thanks to Duane's liver. Eric is both comforted and shocked by the trio, but, along with Duane's former girlfriend, Martha, the five quickly become embroiled in one another's lives, and Eric and Martha find the freedom to grieve and move forward. Lynch is known for his gritty novels with flawed protagonists. He does not disappoint here, once again giving readers characters with emotional and psychological complexity. A long time coming, this sequel is a sophisticated, extended look at a teen's maturation and growth through a series of dynamic life changes.—Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VABook Details
Published
February 5, 2013
Publisher
Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Pages
176
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781416927037