Haworth-Attard, Barbara (2005 [orig. 2003, Canada]). Theories of Relativity. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN: 0805077901. 240 pages.
Sixteen year old Dylan is living on the streets of his city, begging for change in front of an office building, surviving on cheap coffee and fast food, avoiding hustlers and sleeping in doorways. Though he's only been living rough for a couple of weeks--ever since his mother threw him out of the house--he's already learned the rules of the streets: don't start with drugs (you'll end up doing ANYTHING) and don't get involved with anybody. This first person novel is gritty and uncompromising; a number of times I worried that Haworth-Attard was going to take the "easy" way out of the story and deliver an unlikely fairy-tale ending, but, although hopeful, Dylan's tale ends on a realistic note. This is a relatively short novel within which a comparatively long time passes and a lot happens to the main and constituent characters; as a result, Theories delivers a strong jab of fiction that leaves a lasting impression. |
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