Adios, Nirvana

Jonathan's lost the person closest to him, his twin brother Telly. He believes Telly, the leader of a band who is well liked, is the best of them. In his grief, he's nearly flunking out of his junior year drowning his sorrows in Red Bulls and abusing drugs. His 'thicks' (best friends) and the Principal are going to force him to make it through whether he likes it or not. Jonathan's required to do one assignment, write the biography of a dying WWII vet. In meeting David and helping him reconcile his losses, the hope is that Jonathan will come to terms with Telly's death. I truly liked and appreciated the view of the Seattle grunge scene and the fact that for once, this YA didn't focus on a love story. The issues that Jonathan faces are monumental for any age. All the pressures of HS only make grieving worse. Jonathan was a tough character to come to terms with. He pretty much griped through everything he did. This is legitimate, everyone processes loss in their own way and whatever is comfortable for them. If you want to read a YA book which deals more positively with grief, see Green Witch. The protagonist of this tale lost her whole civilization and is working hard to help reclaim it. The author has an amazing talent of turning inanimate objects into living, breathing parts of the story. "Ruby" the guitar was one of the most powerful voices in this tale despite her composition of wood and wires. I have three issues with the story, thus the 4 stars: First: I object to Jonathan and his 'thicks' using the word 'faggy.' I'm sure that teens do talk like this, but homophobia in a book that's trying to teach teens about acceptance for an outcast seems hypocritical to this reviewer. Second: For me, the story ended too quickly. Everything got tied up without any real 'sequel' to the scenes. The catharsis just came too quickly and didn't feel as developed as other portions of the tale. Third: If Jonathan's an award-winning poet, I want to see more of that here. Rebecca Kyle, September 2010