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WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES

Page history last edited by RichiesPicks 9 years, 1 month ago

6 February 2015 WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES by Susin Nielsen, Wendy Lamb Books, May 2015, 256p., ISBN: 978-0-553-49686-4

 

“Ashley:

 

“My newly gay dad couldn’t afford to get his own place unless he and Mom sold the house, which they both agreed would be too hard on me. So their genius solution: let him live in our backyard. Like, if I look out our kitchen window, I look into his kitchen window.

“At first I figured it was just temporary. I figured Mom and I would bond over our hatred of Dad, and pretty soon our combined anger would force him to move out, and we would never have to see him again.

“No such luck. Not only is he still living here, but Mom totally betrayed me. First, she couldn’t stay mad at Dad. They are actually ‘working on being friends’ now!!! Second, she started dating her producer, Leonard Inkster, a year ago, which I am pretty sure breaks all kinds of workplace rules. And third--as if tearing out my heart and smashing it to the ground repeatedly wasn’t enough--my mom has asked Leonard to move in with us. And Leonard doesn’t come alone. He comes with his midget-egghead-freakazoid of a son.

“Oh my God. Their moving van is pulling up right now.

I hate my mom.

I hate my dad.

I hate Leonard.

I hate his kid.

I hate my life.

Two more years till I can get unconstipated.”

 

(I think she really means “emancipated.”)

 

WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES is so funny and moving that I jumped up at 4:00 AM this morning to finish it. It’s a coming-of-age tale for middle schoolers that’s told in two adolescent voices and is filled with interpersonal issues. There’s bullying; loss and grief; the challenges of blended families; popularity; homophobia; and, perhaps most crucial, the importance of boys listening when a girl says “no.”

 

Thirteen year-old pint-sized brainiac Stewart watched his mom die of cancer two years ago. He’s still mourning the loss, but he has a great dad, a good therapist, and an adopted cat, Schrödinger, to help him through it. Now his dad has fallen in love with a  co-worker, television newscaster Caroline. This has led to Stewart and his dad moving in with Caroline and Caroline’s fourteen-year-old clueless, fashionista daughter Ashley. Ashley’s dad Phil, Caroline’s ex, lives in the backyard guest cottage.

 

Home is already a hell of her own making for Ashley, who is filled with fear that her dad being gay will affect her social standing. She has yet to tell any of her friends the truth.

 

Stewart’s change of address has compelled him to leave the sanctuary of his long-time school, Little Genius Academy, and transfer to Borden Secondary School, Ashley’s home turf. To Ashley’s horror, the  counselor who evaluates Stewart’s academic record decides to have him skip a grade. Now Ashley is faced with Stewart in classes as well as at home.

 

We may not find much sympathy for Ashley’s warped values, but her silly views and frequent malapropisms had me constantly looking forward to the alternating chapters that are written from her perspective.

 

One of the most powerful scenes in WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES features a character we never meet but nevertheless get to know well: Stewart’s mother. When Stewart flashes back to a bullying incident when he was four years old, we feel the fierce maternal side of his now-dead mom, a professional woman with an artistic side who clearly had great love for her son.

 

It is not just the two adolescents who are adjusting. I love the realism in the author’s portrayal of the way that Leonard and Caroline must also adjust to cohabitation. They have each lived in their own ways.  When they move in together, each is bothered by some things about the other’s habits and lifestyle.

 

Stewart is the story’s driving force. His gifted intellect combines with the humanity and fierce love that he’s absorbed from his parents to overcome his small stature and repeatedly stand up for what is right. Thanks to Stewart, both he and Ashley grow.

 

WE ARE ALL MADE OF MOLECULES is the sort of story I live for, one whose humor and ideas affect me and live on in me.

 

Richie Partington, MLIS

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