From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Hot on the heels of
Burning City (Random, 2005), which Dorfman coauthored with his father, Ariel Dorfman, comes this first solo effort, a sophisticated, mystery/romance/coming-of-age story full of red herrings and elaborate schemes. Eighteen-year-old Sebastian is a solver of problems. Friends and friends of friends confide in him, adults as often as peers, and he finesses, bribes, deals, and conspires to help them through everything from abortion to attempted suicide. Like a superhero, he can be available at a moment's notice; like the main character in a noir novel, he drinks coffee and alcohol and smokes until he comes up with the information or resources needed to carry out his scheme. His latest case involves tracking down his friend Jeremy's birth father, who has a checkered past, and then planning a visit to meet him. The teens agree to switch identities, allowing Jeremy an emotional distance from which to better assess the man. The plan is elaborate and full of danger, and as Sebastian gets to know Jeremy's mysterious father, Dromio, he begins to find himself trapped by his own deceptions. Sebastian is a memorable character–cocky, clever, and very mature at times. The story is filled with adult language and behavior, including blackmail and violence, but not all that much sex. Sebastian is still a needy boy, though this only becomes evident slowly, in his insecurity with girls, and as his desperate need for a father of his own begins to surface. The adult characters are complex and often fascinating, especially Dromio. While the tension abates toward the end, this fast-paced novel will grip mature young adults.
–Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Gr. 10-12. Eighteen-year-old Sebastian can solve any problem without getting too involved, from arranging an abortion to stopping someone's brother from committing suicide. All he asks is that you do him a favor someday. Things change, however, when Sebastian swaps identities with his friend Jeremy before the boys go to stay with Jeremy's newly found biological father, Dromio. Caught up in charismatic Dromio's wake, the boys feel the strain of their switched identities, but Sebastian cannot seem to let go of the lie--until it's apparent that he's put too much of himself at stake. Sebastian is appealing as the untouchably cool savior-manipulator who helps, not because he cares, but because it stops him from facing his own vulnerability. His downfall is heart wrenching, and his response to it is entirely believable; he doesn't change overnight. Though Dorfman's overabundance of fragmentary sentences wears thin, he writes with a compassion and an energy that will propel readers along. Recommend this to teens who like poignant psychological drama.
Krista HutleyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
