LitPick Review
A brilliant coming-of-age story, Borderline portrays an overwhelmed older brother, an over-ignored son, and a determined caregiver in the form of Guy Ritter. And a teacher who has it out for you, a best friend who won't stop eating, and a temperamental semi-girlfriend isn't enough, Guy's also been dealing with his "autistic" brother for way too long. All of the problems Guy's been burdened with has created quite a bit of stress. What can a thirteen-year-old kid do when his best friend's father's fast food feasting becomes perilous? And what will the utterly impulsive Guy do when he comes across a majestic experiment animal that soon becomes his best friend? And what about his brother's controversial treatment? And most of all, can one child really deal with all that?
Opinion:
I was quite fond of Borderline, especially the highlighting of controversy- from Austin's autism treatment to the experiments on wolves. Rozanski's writing style was masterful with emotion. I could feel Guy's frustration,excitement, irritation with every word. I found it apage-turner from the first word; I could hardly put it down. Although it moved a little slow in some places, it moved at a relatively good speed. However, I was surprised at the personality of the mother, Mrs. Ritter. She was almost unrealistically uncaring and paranoid- although I suppose that having an autistic son can do that to you. The character development of some of the secondary characters could have been more thorough. However, overall, I loved the book; which was an achievement- because normally, angst annoys me.
