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Click

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I bought this book for my 15 year old son who is an intense reader, and a big fan of several of the authors in this collection. But while he was distracted by flashier Christmas presents, I got started on this book. I completely loved the first three chapters - setting the story for the main characters and sending them out in different projectories from the base. Each story is unique, surprising, a small gift, standing alone, but somehow believably connected to the first one. At dinner I shared my enjoyment of these opening stories. The book promptly disappeared from my room. But I did encounter my son in bed guffawing over a later chapter about a man with a special talent for tucking his left leg behind his head and snugging his big toe into his right ear. This book was undoubtedly as much fun for the writers in their shared humor as it is for the readers. They have given us a brilliant product of their collaborative dance. With little visible imposed structure, the authors were free to pick up the characters and place them at will on the globe, giving them new friends, unimagined encounters, and mysterious twists in their lives.

How many times have you looked at a photograph and wondered what the story was behind it? Photographs indicate relationships within and among people and nature. Photographs document one's perception of the world.

George Keane Henschler, or "Gee" as he likes to be called, and his granddaughter, Maggie, are the epicenter for all the stories in the book CLICK. The book starts off with a short story by Linda Sue Park. The authors that contributed to this book make up quite an impressive list: Deborah Ellis, Ruth Ozeki, Eoin Colfer, David Almond, Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornby, Margo Lanagan, and Gregory MacGuire

Parks gets the ball rolling, beginning with Gee's death and how it affects his granddaughter and his grandson, Jason. Maggie was terribly close to him and loved to hear his stories about his adventures as a photojournalist traveling the world. When he dies, he gives her a box with seven compartments holding shells with a note telling her to "throw it back." We learn that this serves as a map for her life's adventures. Jason, on the other hand, is a little bitter after finding out he is adopted and decides to reject his grandfather's gift of photographs and wants to sell them so he can look for his real father. He comes across a letter from Gee when he is about to steal something from him that basically changes his life. Gee knew that Jason had pilfered from him and now wants him to think about the people who love him and the road he is on and where it will lead.

The rest of the stories, all by different authors, take a part of the first story and do their own spin on it. One author chooses to write about how the box came into existence. Another author looks at the name "Keane" and writes a story connecting the family to an Irish Legacy. And still another author continues the story of Maggie - now Margaret- as she nears the end of her own life.

Each story, even though different than the one before, blends into each other almost seamlessly. Read by itself it might just be a bunch of nice short stories, but when all the stories are put together like so in this book it makes you realize that many relationships are circular in nature. Connections people make with random people they meet can have far-reaching effects.

CLICK, besides being interesting, is also benefiting Amnesty International. All royalties from the book will be donated to the group, which serves to protect people's human rights.

Say cheese....Click!

Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick