BOOK REVIEW: YOU by Charles Benoit

YOU
Charles Benoit
HarperCollins
256 pp.
Ages 13 - 17

You're surprised at all the blood.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to go. You're just a typical fifteen-year-old sophomore. This can't be happening to you. But then, how do you explain the blood? How do you explain how you got here in the first place?

Maybe if you can figure out where it all went wrong, you can still make it right. Think fast. Time's running out. . . .

MY REVIEW:

A friend of mine donated an ARC of this book to my son's Eagle Scout project. I hadn't heard about it before, so I picked it up off the stack of books and read the first couple of pages. Two days later I had read the whole thing.

YOU is one of the rare books written in 2nd person, you are Kyle Chase, a fifteen-year-old hoodie from Midland High. You used to be a good kid but have since slipped into a rut of bad grades, violent outbursts, and even some minor illegal activity. But at heart you are still the Kyle you used to be, trying to be good in bad circumstances.

The story is laid out very simply, without any excessive descriptions or complicated plotlines. This is high school drama at its core. While the 2nd person narrative takes a few pages to get used to, Benoit manages it deftly, drawing you into Kyle's story in the most personal way possible. And the ending guts you, leaves you breathless, stomach twisted into knots. It really makes you think.

CONTENT RATING:

Profanity:  Mild

Violence:  Moderate

Sexuality:  Moderate