Tuesday, June 05, 2007

What Mrs. N's Been Reading - Being

I just finished Kevin Brooks' Being. Not nearly as depressing as On the Head of a Pin, but I could really use some humor here. Anyone got a suggestion? Anyway, Being is the story of 16-year-old Robert Smith, a young man who goes to the hospital for a seemingly routine bit of testing to determine the source of a stomach problem, and ends up on the run from some really nasty guys. If you like books that wrap things up nice and neatly for you (isn't that really annoying when it's too nice and neat?) take a pass on this one. It raises lots of questions, but leaves many unanswered. Some of the questions are pretty staightforward, like "What is Robert?" and "Who are these really nasty guys who are chasing him?" But some are more complex, like "What does it really mean to be human?" As I was reading it I was thinking that it reminded me a bit of the Bourne books and movies. I have several other Kevin Brooks books in the Teen collection. The only one that I've read is Martyn Pig but I was a big fan of that one. I'd recommend this one as well, and may try a few more of his over the summer.

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