by Justin Sayre. Listening Library, 2015

Geek rate: Sun god worthy (4 out of 5 stars)

I feel that I can be friends with Davis O’Brien. In “Husky”, we join Davis as he experiences the changes in his world as a young kid: his social circle, his family dynamics, and his own assessment of himself. It wouldn’t know about the experiences of popular kids, but Davis’ story is like reading my own story when I was kid, minus the listening to opera music part.

“And all alone in my headphones, there are these times when I think that I know exactly how I am in the world, how people see me, what I look like and how I act and who I am.”

Operating under the premise that by high school, a kid is defined by one word only, 12-year-old Davis O’Brien attempts to find his own adjective before anyone else can give him one.

Eventually, Davis will find that he is not define with a single word, that he is much more than one word. But more than that, the realization that he could choose the words that will define him.

I’m always looking forward to reading books that contains no annoying romantic themes familiar with YA novels. But at the same time, a book that is not dragging and too deep that your brain will just be tired processing the words. And a book that you can relate to, in some level.

“Husky” is one of those books that centers not on two people, but on a single individual. The main character here, Davis O’Brien is a high school student, and while we’re past that year, the high school innocence that makes YA novels light book-minus the cheesy theme-is present in this book. “Husky” is equal part YA and equal part deep book, drawing out the good stuff of both genre.

Geek Rate: Sun god worthy (4 out of 5 stars)

Davis is funny and his thought process will make you enjoy reading the book up to the last page. There’s the typical struggle familiar with stories that features high school kid their social problem, sexuality dilemma, and changing family connections. There’s always a disconnect when middle age writers try to write about the thoughts of high school students, but like John Green, Justin Sayre’s writing is so real that we clearly hear David’s thoughts in every page.