This book isn't for everyone. Some will love it as I do, others will condemn it as a load of crap. In any event it is really deep, deeper than many people want to go or can be bothered with. Essentially it is a coming of age book of a teenage boy whose father is a genius and expects that his son will be the same. It is also a father and son story, a story of family relations, of life and death and of friendship, and there are moments in this book that will have you struck with wonder.

Nathan Nelson is an average boy and believes he is a disappointment to his father. A car accident in which his grandfather is killed, leaves him with a mental condition called synesthesia which gives him the sort of memory that a savant has. He is sent to a special clinic at which teenagers with special gifts are monitored. His father at last has something to be proud of, or does he? At this clinic Nathan meets Teresa and Toby who have special gifts and are to have a profound effect on his life.

The intellectual banter of this book is a treat, but it is essentially for senior secondary students or those that think deeply on the meaning of life with the tongue tucked firmly in the cheek.

Reviewed by Bob

Published by Atria Books