Future Imperfect

Gr 10 Up—Ade Patience, 17, is a junkie, but he doesn't do drugs or alcohol. He gets high from brain trauma. When he hits his head hard—really hard—he experiences a high unlike any other. He also sees the future. His visions are always right and he can't do anything to change what they predict. For two years he has been picking fights, jumping off buildings, crashing cars—anything to get a glimpse of the future and feel the accompanying Buzz. And for two years he has been awaiting the arrival of a girl he saw in a prescient vision, the girl he is meant to be with. But with her comes trouble in the form of Jimmi Ministry. Jimmi is dangerous but Ade will tolerate him to be near Vauxhall, the love of his life. Then Ade sees himself killing Jimmi in a fit of blind rage. Now he has to find a way to break the rules, to change the unalterable future or become a murderer. Breese weaves a complex tale populated by original characters and a plot that builds in energy and suspense, becoming hard to put down in the second half of the story. The writing is marred by a few awkward passages, and occasionally the dialogue does not fit the teen characters, but most YA readers will be pulled through those sections by a desire to see how Ade resolves his conundrum. Teens will identify with the protagonist's feelings of helplessness and his raw desire to somehow control his future and to tame his building anger.—Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School, CA