In the Break

I really enjoyed reading this novel. This is the first book that I have ever read that made me cry. The book is about a friend, his best friend, and his best friends sister. In the end, there is no fairy tale ending. The book left me in a depressed mood for awhile, but any good book will do that. This is the best book that I have ever read. If you love books about surfing, love, friendships, or sad endings this is for you. I recommend it highly!

The descriptions of surfing in this book were incredible. There was edge-of-your seat excitement when the three teenagers are surfing off an island in Mexico. You feel like you are out there, like the dolphins, watching them. But what really sets this book apart is the story, and how real these characters feel. Mr. Lopez gradually reveals how the friendship between Juan and Jamie has developed over time, over the various ordeals they've had to face. It is a real coming of age story of friendship, loyalty and loss.

IN THE BREAK is a story of friendship, loyalty, romance, tragedy, and the forever search of that perfect wave. In commanding style, Jack Lopez takes readers through the highs and lows of the characters, their feelings and emotions, and in the end leaves us with an unforgettable tale. After Juan's best friend, Jamie, has a hostile fight with his stepfather, everything seems grim. In a flash of emergence, Juan, Jamie, and Jamie's sister, Amber, flee town on their own for Mexico, to let Jamie lay low for a while until things at home calm down. And while they're at it, they might as well surf as much as possible. Their days of fun surfing and nights of romance lead them to believe everything will turn out okay. But things don't seem to slow down, the ocean isn't calm, and eventually the tide catches up to Juan -- and it's from there that he must decide how to handle things. Jack Lopez's lyrical and flowing writing style takes the reader away from their surroundings and allows them to be washed away with the current. Lopez's killer command of description and handle of language allows him to communicate truly believable voices and create a narrator with a scope of view not often observed in contemporary literature today. With hands-on description of real big wave surf and the southern California surfing scene, readers will get lost in the words and find themselves plummeting through every drop of loss and heartache, and escaping into an unbelievably well-told story. Cheers to J.L. Reviewed by: Long Nguyen