I got this book for free at the American Library Association Conference. Normally, this isn't my thing, especially since it is classified as a "young adult" novel. The main character is a high school football player. Not my cup of tea.
However, while trapped inside a metal box a couple miles above the Earth's surface barreling through the air for a few hours, I figured I'd give it a chance.
I was captivated from the outset. The main character grows up in an Indiana steel town and after the death of his mom while he was a senior in high school feels disconnected with life as he knew it. One day he takes off with a friend and hitchhikes to Florida to try to locate and meet Jack Kerouac, whose novel, "On the Road" inspired millions and is considered leading voice in the Beat generation.
Forget all that! This novel spoke so sparingly and truthfully about figuring out how your life is meant to be different, finding your own way apart from family and friends... and then how he found the way to his own home.
Ultimately, it is about listening to the truth within you and understanding that the framework around you -your friends, family, lovers, religion, location- are pieces of the puzzle, but not the answer. People can remind you who you are, and also who you never want to be.
There were no stereotypes so common in young adult novels. No shiny football star, no glossy cheerleader, no overbearing parents. You were led into a very real world of flawed, loving, caring, and sometimes stupid people.
Perhaps this novel spoke to me more deeply because of the transitions in life in which I am finding myself yet again. When I was a teenager, I wanted Out so badly I skipped a year of high school to do it. It took me decades to figure out I was defining myself through other people.
When I finished the book, I wanted to hug all of the characters and felt a bit displaced when I reoriented to the fact I had been immersed in a work of fiction.
Those are the best kind of books of all.
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