Random Reads

Intersection novels deal with completely seperate characters whose lives cross in some way.  Think of the movie Pay It Forward or Crash.  Although the characters are usually complete strangers, their actions will directly impact another character's life.

Holdup by Terri Fields

     Terri Fields once heard "that we make more than six hundred decisions every day."  Most are very routine and people don't think about them.  But what if an ordinary decision affected the rest of your life?  This is the basis for her latest novel, Holdup.  The book is told from nine different points of view which gives the reader a unique perspective from each character's life.  Many of the teens work at Burger Haven and they chronicle what restaurant work is really like.  One evening, the restaurant is held up and hostages are taken.  The outcome is surprising and the ending has a unique twist. 

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

  Maggie is a victim of a hit-and-run accident which left her leg badly scarred and must walk with a limp.  Caleb was the driver who was just released from a juvenile facility for the crime.  Maggie has a difficult time adjusting and begins work as a companion for the elderly Mrs. Reynolds.  In a simple twist, Caleb is assigned to build Mrs. Reynolds a gazeebo for his community service.  Maggie learns to overcome her anger and eventually forgives Caleb and they become romantically involved.  But is Caleb worthy of forgiveness and what about that dark secret that is eating him alive?   Throw in his ex-girlfriend Kendra to stir up problems and readers are in for a quite a read. 

Bleed by Laurie Stolarz

  Bleed  is a creatively written novel that explores the lives of ten characters over the course of one day.  Each chapter is dedicated to a teenager and the reader gets a brief glimpse into their life.  The entire novel reads alomost like a collection of short stories whose characters' lives intersect in unforseeable and unexpected ways.  For example, Nicole is in love with her best friend Kelly's boyfriend.  Kelly is out of town visiting her father and is about to meet the convicted felon she's been writing to for several years.  Maria has issues with self-mutilation and constantly tries to persuade her friends to cut her with pins.  Sean cheats on his girlfriend with somebody he never would have expected.  Stolarz expertly weaves a combination of stories the reader will remember for a long while.  Laurie Stolarz is currently writing a companion novel to Bleed.  You can bet this reader will be first in line to devour this forthcoming title.

You & You &You by Pers Nilsson

     Three separate characters' lives become intertwined by the novel's conclusion.  We first meet sixth grader Anon who is an eccentric boy who always wears galoshes.  He is constantly teased by his classmates.  One day, he finds a girl's wallet with a library card inside belonging to someone named Sarah.  Anon fantasizes about her and will eventually returns the wallet to her.  Zarah is a seventeen year old sensual girl with an abusive boyfriend.  Zarah's life is complicated by her jealous boyfriend and her best friend Mia who suddenly develops romantic feelings for her.  The last character, Nils, is twenty years old and obsessed with life and death.  In two separate scenes, he spends the night in a coffin and is buried alive in order to capture the emotions associated with the experiences.  Eventually, all three characters will meet and their lives will take remarkable turns.  The novel reminded me of the movies Crash, 11:14, and 21 Grams.