Nobel Genes

Gr 8 Up—Told by his mother that he was the product of a sperm donation from an anonymous Nobel Prize winner, this novel's narrator grew up trying to live up to her expectations that he would be a genius, devoting his life to science or humanitarian efforts. He often flips through a volume filled with photos and bios of Nobel laureates, daydreaming about meeting his father. Over the years his mother has grown increasingly erratic, exhibiting signs of agoraphobia, mental instability, and self-destructive behavior. It isn't until her most recent suicide attempt ends in a coma that the boy meets his grandparents and learns of his true, disturbing parentage. Michaels explores dark themes of incest, mental illness, and loss with ruthless honesty. The narrative is spare, the characters are beautifully portrayed as multifaceted individuals, and the premise is grim and wholly plausible. YA novels about mental illness are not uncommon, but this one of a child who seems anonymous to the outside world, who is never named by the author, and whose fate isn't ultimately wrapped up in a tidy bow will leave readers unsettled. Hand this to teens who like Chris Crutcher and Ellen Hopkins or want more books like Dave Pelzer's A Child Called "It" (HCI, 1995).—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK