Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee AlexanderMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Here is a sweet little story with a lot of heart. Shannon Alexander has managed to capture the nerdiness of a prodigy and mesh it with the carefree live-life-to-the-fullest girl.
The story is told by Charlie, a smart guy going to the smart kids school. His two best friends are a very sassy girl who's known him since childhood and her boyfriend - also smart and extremely likable. Even though they're at the smart kids school, Alexander paints it as a very normal experience - not much different than a regular public high school. The difference, as Charlie notes, is simply that the homework is harder and the kids pay much more attention.
He's standing in line at the local coffee shop when he notices the girl in front of him has a tattoo on the back of her neck. He's immediately intrigued by the mystery. This prompts him to want to know more; turns out this girl is the good friend of his younger sister. Charlie is awkward without being cliche - he's not antisocial or out of his comfort zone with people in general. He's just a smart kid who likes numbers. He has it all figured out.
Charlotte challenges him in an unassuming way while charming him at the same time. The real pleasure of this book is seeing their relationship unfold. Charlie slowly becomes aware that the world around him is unpredictable, and this has really nothing to do with entropy. He develops an antagonistic relationship with the old lady across the street, which evolves nicely into a tenuous yet companionable friendship. She can see right through his masks, which both threatens and draws him.
There is a lot of astute observation about life in this book. Alexander is not afraid to broach the subjects of loss and death and coping with a terminal illness. This isn't really the focus of the book. Rather, it is the way it changes Charlie and not only opens his eyes to the chaotic world around him, but challenges him to question everything he's ever thought about his future.
All in all this was a heartwarming story that tugged at my heart without being sappy or cliche. The characters are not pretentious, just regular kids dealing with life the best way they can. The side characters were well developed and enhanced the story nicely. The plot moved along well, and all in all this was a great story told well.
I'm interested in what Shannon Alexander does next. For a new author and a debut novel, this was impressive.
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