High School and Up
I saw this as a movie starring Elijah Wood and Rachael Leigh Cook a really long time ago, so when I found out it was actually a book by late great Robert Cormier, I had to give it a try.
It's the story of Barney Snow, an amnesiac living in a research facility for terminally ill kids. He tries to keep himself, the only "healthy" person in the place, separate from the other boys, thinking that if he doesn't get attached, it won't hurt as much when they inevitably die. But when the beautiful sister of one of the guys asks Barney to try and befriend her self-pitying, belligerent brother, Mazzo, Barney forges friendships and embarks on a mission to build a car for Mazzo's last glorious ride. And these friendships will be all too important as Barney slowly discovers the painful mysteries of his past and of his own mind.
The writing is phenomenal. Sometimes poetic, sometimes gritty and vulgar, the book really gets inside Barney and evokes the fear, depression, and determination that living in such a place would bring. I highly recommend it.
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