Love Is Both Wave and Particle

Gr 9 Up—Even at their high school for gifted but troubled students, Levon and Samantha stand out for their intelligence, so much so that their English teacher invites them to take part in a special assignment. The two will write their autobiographies, sharing their work with only each other and their instructor. Told from the perspectives of the teens and their friends, parents, and teachers, this ambitious novel explores the characters' lives as friendship and romance blossom. Readers learn about Levon's self-imposed social isolation and his desire to discover his father's identity and about Sam's suicide attempt, depression, and dissatisfaction with her family's privileged existence. Balancing so many points of view requires a deft hand; unfortunately, the voices are indistinguishable and bog down the narrative. Cody has a tendency to oversimplify or romanticize mental illness ("This beautiful sixteen-year-old kid. Her hand and wrist wrapped in white"), and a gleefully lurid note often creeps into the clumsy prose ("even the kids who seem to have everything are often as broken and lonely as dolls, naked, missing limbs and eyes"). While the author has attempted a nuanced, layered psychological portrait, the characters are firmly entrenched in the realm of cliché, from Levon's coldly detached scientist mother to the preternaturally perfect protagonists.