Peters, Julie Anne. Far from Xanadu. Little, Brown and Company: 2005. ISBN: 9780316159715.Summary:
Mike Szabo is a sixteen-year-old high school junior who is gifted at softball. She has dreams of playing professionally someday. At least she had that dream. Everything changed two years ago when her dad committed suicide. Feeling bruised, alone and unloved Mike is just trying to deal. Everything changes when Xanadu arrives. Xanadu is gorgeous, perfection and attitude and Mike is hooked immediately. The two are attracted to one another and become fast friends. Unfortunately the attraction is just as friends and Mike desires more. To complicate matters Xanadu falls head over heels for Bailey, a local ranchers son. Mike become Xanadu's confidant about all things Bailey. It is hard for her, but hope, love and lust keep Mike going. This is not the only complication in Mike's adolescent life. Mike's mother weighs nearly 500 pounds and won't speak to her. Darryl, her older waste of a brother is letting their home fall down around them, literally. Mike's life is complicated and difficult. Being a teen has many challenges and the people around Mike have made her road more bumpy and perilous than most.
Evaluation:
This novel has two main gay characters, but the heart of the story is not about being a teen and being gay. The first line of the novel is, "After my dad's suicide, the town council decided to remove the bottom portion of the ladder from the Coalton water tower." This book is about the desire to feel loved and secure and the people who let us down. This bildungsroman takes place several levels. Mike does come to terms with her sexuality, which through most of the novel she assumes is not needed. More importantly, Mike releases herself emotionally and is able to deal with her father's death and abandonment and her mother's lack of care and depression. Mike's subtle personality is contrasted with Jamie, Mike's sixteen-year-old best friend, who is flagrantly gay. Teens will be able to connect with Mike's desire to distance herself from her family and find refuge in other places. Mike finds refuge at work, school and the local gym. Working out becomes her way to not feel emotionally. By making her muscles scream and ache, she can drown out her feelings. Emotions will not be denied forever and must manifest themselves. We can choose to deal with them positively or continue destructive behavior. Mike's choice is a great guide for anyone, teen or adult.
Readers' Annotation: We desire things we can't have. Imagine that it is right in front of you.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness:
Far From Xanadu would be useful to teens who are dealing with the death of someone important in their lives. The novel shows Mike angry and upset at her father for killing himself and that is a normal part of grieving. Mike must also come to terms with her absent, mentally ill mother and realize her mother's issues are not Mike's fault. Lastly, the gay themes will connect with teens who are wondering what high school can be like for a gay student.
Genre:
Realistic Fiction/Issue Novel
Why I Chose This Book:
The title and the tag line (For anyone who has fallen in love with someone just out of reach), hooked me on this book. This book has been stolen from our collection and that made me curious as to why a patron would steal it as opposed to checking it out.
