By Markus Zusak
Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are brothers. Close brothers. ‘Boondock Saints’-style close. Cameron is the thinker, Ruben is the vocal one. They are perfect in all ways brothers are: they tease each other, they protect and defend each other, they love each other (though they will never say it aloud). I fell in love with them instantly.
First sentence: “The dog we’re betting on looks more like a rat.”
The story starts at the dog track, where teenaged Cameron and Ruben coerce older men to place bets for them. They are balanced, maybe slightly naïve. At home, their father has lost his job due to a work injury and can’t find another. Their mother is working overtime, and it’s showing. Their older sister works as much as she can, but her alcoholism is starting to get in the way. Their older brother has a steady job and can’t understand why their father won’t sign up for welfare. Zusak writes as Cameron, and it’s the most memorable I’ve read in a long time, probably since ‘Edgar Mint’.
“I ask the questions at home when we eat our dinner with Mum pouring out the soup, and Sarah eating it politely, and Dad eating more failure with his meal. Putting it in his mouth. Chewing it. Tasting it. Swallowing it. Digesting it. Getting used to it.”
Cameron and Ruben begin their journey as they come home from school one day, after Ruben got in a fight over their sister’s honor. A man is waiting for them in front of their gate. "Can we talk inside?" he asks.
"Well, for starters," Rube answers, "who the hell are y'?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," says the stranger. "I'm a guy who can either change your life or smack it into the ground for bein' smart."
The brothers decide to listen, and thus begins their season of self-discovery. They are drawn into the dark, seedy ‘Fight Club’-style world of underground boxing. Fifty dollars for a win, tips (if any) for a loss. They are given gloves and shorts and told their first fight is in a week. Ruben, as predicted, does well. He wins every fight, and is soon a crowd favorite. Cameron is not a winner, but he has heart. The crowd loves his tenacity. But with each fight, Ruben begins to change. He is becoming colder, more distant, and it unsettles Cameron in a familiar way. As their journey progresses, both boys struggle to figure out who they really are, and what purpose they serve.
The emotion in Zusak’s writing leaves me in awe. His fresh, poetic narrative is visually strong and so very sharp:
“My heart falls to my ankles, the van takes off, and Rube and I walk home. I kick my heart along the ground. I feel like crying, but I don’t. I wish I was Rube. I wish I was Fighting Ruben Wolfe and not the Underdog. I wish I was my brother.”
The dialect is distinctly Aussie, distinctly brothers, and the words echo from the pages.
“Hey Rube, are you awake?”
“Whatta y’ reckon? I’ve only been in here two lousy minutes.”
“It’s been longer than that.”
“It hasn’t.”
“It has, y’ miserable faggot. And tell me—what do you want, ay? Can y’ tell me that? Whatta y’ want?”
“I want you to switch the light off.”
“No way.”
“It’s only fair—I was in here first and you’re closer to the switch.”
“So what? I’m older. You should respect your elders and switch the light off yourself.”
“What a load of bloody—“
“It stays on then.”
It stays on for ten minutes, and then, take a guess. It’s me who switches it off.
“You suck,” I tell him.
“Thank you.”
I really, really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, but it has heart. Amazon rates it as a '13 and up' book, but I don’t know if a teenager could appreciate the depth and talent within these pages. Zusak has created a true work of art, and I’m salivating at the thought of a longer novel by him.
Five our of Five stars for excellence in every field.
1 comment:
After what you told me last night, and from reading your review, I'm definately reading this book! Hand it over! If you don't I'll get Kitty and hold him for ransom... don't you be thinking I won't! :-P
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