Publisher:
Speak
Release
Date: 17th
March 2011
Edition:
US paperback,
purchased
It’s
Dade’s last summer at home in a suburban wasteland, and things are pretty
hopeless. He has a crappy job, a “boyfriend” who treats him like dirt, and his
parents’ marriage is falling apart. So when he meets the mysterious Alex
Kincaid, Dade feels as if he’s finally experiencing true happiness. But real
love has consequences, and its power soon sets in motion a tragic chain of
events that will change Dade’s life forever.
I picked up The Vast Fields of Ordinary on a whim; with
no knowledge of the book, the author, the reviews, going purely on the cover
and the first few pages. I’m so glad I took a chance on it.
Dade is a wonderful
protagonist. He’s suffering through the last summer before college with a job
surrounded by people he hates, parents who are driving him mad with their
fighting and obvious dislike of each other and his desperate need to be loved. The
way that Dade changed around his “boyfriend” Pablo was so clear. He became
lesser, crushed by the lack of feeling in Pablo, the forced secrecy and shame
he was viewed with. Meeting Alex was a revelation.
I liked Alex immediately. It’s
impossible not to; he oozes easy charm, but he also has a depth and a darkness
that pulls you in. I felt the pull between him and Dade very quickly, but none
of the chemistry. It was a slow build and by the time Dade’s parents swanned
off to Europe and they were left to their own devices, they were bubbling with
chemistry. But not just sexual chemistry, they had a proper connection and an
understanding of each other that I fell in love with. Alex was exactly what
Dade needed, and so was Lucy. The rebellious teen sent to live with her aunt
for the summer after her ultra-religious parents discovered she was gay. She added
a spark to Dade’s life before Alex did. Lucy provided Dade with someone to
confide in, someone to comfort him, someone to gush about Alex to.
With they were having the
summer of their lives, I felt a serious sense of doom. With the background of a
missing girl and the threatening course Pablo’s feelings took, I was expecting
the worst. I constantly changed my mind about what would happen, but I ended up
being right. It was a powerful, brave ending that really drove home the
message. It made me wonder just how many LGBT teens had experienced the same
thing.
The
Vast Fields of Ordinary is
a beautiful, sultry novel of friendship, love and the struggles of growing up. I’m
definitely going to be keeping my eyes open for more from Nick Burd.
Sophie
I only sort of skimmed your review because I absolutely LOVE IT when I read a book that I don't know anything about. And I had never heard of this book before your review :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Sophie! I'd not heard of this before, but now I so want to read it! It sounds so awesome! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for it! Thank you :)
ReplyDelete