Dec 1, 2011

Audio Review - You by Charles Benoit

You by Charles Benoit
August 24th, 2010 from HarperTeen

Synopsis:
This wasn't the way it was supposed to go.

You're just a typical fifteen-year-old sophomore, an average guy named Kyle Chase. This can't be happening to you. But then, how do you explain all the blood? How do you explain how you got here in the first place?

There had to have been signs, had to have been some clues it was coming. Did you miss them, or ignore them? Maybe if you can figure out where it all went wrong, you can still make it right. Or is it already too late? Think fast, Kyle. Time's running out. How did this happen?


Review:
You is the story of a boy who is quiet, misunderstood, and eventually at wits end. The beginning of this book sets us up for heartbreak by giving us a glimpse into how everything will end. The journey to that ending is a look into the life of just an average kid who is a bit restless and prone to finding trouble around every corner.

The book version is just over 200 pages. There isn't a lot of room to get off track. You has the right amount of teen angst, humor, conflict, and even mystery. We know Kyle finds himself in a situation with blood - lots of it. But, whose blood is it and how did a teen who travels down the road of mundane find himself in this situation? Told in the second-person narrative ("You run your finger down the list of homeroom assignments until you spot your name.") we get an insiders look into every emotion and thought process. It feels very intimate in this story and a welcome change from first and third person for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. The narrator, David Baker, is one of the best voice actors for audio books in my opinion. He is behind Graceling (one of my all-time fave's) and several Nicholas Sparks novels. His hauntingly tender rendition of Kyle Chase is exceptional. Although he doesn't have a particularly young voice, his acting skills are superb. Baker, and Anthony Hopkins for that matter, could read the phone book and I would think it is genius.

A poignant story about the choices one makes and the consequences that follow. Mild language and references to sex. Recommended for 13+. This one is a top audio choice for me!

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You can find Benoit at his website