Adrian Fogelin: The Big Nothing

Peachtree Publishers (Hardcover), ISBN 1561453269

Justin Riggs needs help with everything from acne and girlfriends to the fighting Parental Units. His big brother Duane knows how he feels and knows just what to say. But Duane has joined the Army and will soon ship out to Iraq, and his advice comes to Justin via the occasional letter, email or brief phone call. Meanwhile, their mother suffers from a depression brought on by her husband, a wise-cracking salesman who spends more time with his "customers" than he does with his 13-year-old son. On a good day, Mom manages to sit in front of CNN and hope Duane's picture doesn't flash by on the TV screen. Meanwhile Justin cooks French fries, struggles to learn to write checks, and occasionally joins his mother in front of the TV. In other words, his pitiful life is collapsing before his very eyes.

To make matters worse, Justin's friend Ben discovers girls. Cass and Ben spend time together, and Justin becomes the odd man out. Jemmie, Cass's best friend, also feels left out, and a friendship between Jemmie and Justin develops. (Fogelin explored the relationship between Cass, who is white, and Jemmie, an African American girl, in her earlier novel, Crossing Jordan.)

Justin's interest in music leads him to Jemmie's front porch and to her wise grandmother, who encourages him to play the piano. The boy's musical talent serves as a counterpoint to the sadness and conflict in his life.

In the hands of a less skilled writer, this might read like an overwritten soap opera. Adrian Fogelin, however, writes with sensitivity and humor; her characters' dialect and lingo ring very true. She navigates the complex world of boy-girl relationships, teenage angst, dirty t-shirts, and forgotten homework assignments with skill and laugh-out-loud funny descriptions. Most kids will see themselves in Justin and his friends in this appealing YA novel. And they won't want to put the book down until they know whether the good guy gets the girl and if all ends well for our teenage hero.

Augusta Scattergood

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