a walking, talking miracle

This weekend I read Release by Patrick Ness.

Ness writes, “How do we ever, ever survive our teenage years? Every young person you meet is a walking, talking miracle.”

From GoodReads:

Inspired by Mrs Dalloway and Judy Blume's Forever, Release is one day in the life of Adam Thorn, 17. It's a big day. Things go wrong. It's intense, and all the while, weirdness approaches... 

Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It's a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won't come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.

The story takes place during one monumental day in Adam Thorn's life. But it's also written as two different stories: one is Adam's day, the other is a supernatural tale of murder. Both stories come together to define identity and the power of love and loyalty.


Adam and his bestfriend Angela have an amazing farewell:

"When is it that you've got my back again, Adam?" Angela asked in their usual farewell. 

He grinned, "Always. Until the end of the world." 

"Oh, yeah. That's right." She hung up.

If you've read any other books by Patrick Ness, then you know his books are recommended for a more mature YA audience. 

Get this book for the young people you know who are struggling with letting go:

"How do I let go?"... 

"That's the question, isn't it?" says the boy. "For everyone." 

"Everyone," the spirit agrees. 

The boy takes a breath. "Today was a day I had to let go of a lot of stuff. Like everything that was tying me down suddenly got untied."