Young Adult Literature without Apology

Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.

Realistic | Romance | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

Werlin, Nancy (2006). The Rules of Survival. NY: Dial/Penguin Putnam. ISBN: 0803730012. 272 pages.

In this harrowing novel, sixteen year old Matthew describes life with his manic and often abusive mother, Nikki. Nikki is mercurical and dangerous and her young family walks a fine line to avoid becoming the target of her sudden rages. Matthew is the oldest of his siblings--two sisters--and considers himself responsible for both protecting them from their mother and for keeping the family together. When Matthew and his middle sister meet Murdoch, a man whom they believe will help them and whom their mother begins dating, Matthew's assumption that Murdoch will act as their savior eventually drives the man away.

The Rules of Survival is more tightly (and tautly) written than Werlin's previous mystery-tinged novels; however, this departure works well as the succinct but desperate prose conveys the similar emotions of the characters. The plot moves swiftly and unrelentingly to a climax that visits themes common to some of Werlin’s earlier works and offers with an uneasy recognition of the same conclusion David Yaffe voiced in 1998’s The Killer’s Cousin: “Anyone in this world can have the power of life and death over someone else. It’s horrible, but true”(p. 225).