Monday, November 29, 2010

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

The first time Wes meets June, he thinks her mouth is too wide and her eyes are too far apart. June, in return, thinks his hair is shaggy. It would seem these two were not meant to be together right from the start. And yet, against all odds, their paths continue to cross. Thus begins a romance where nothing is easy to explain or simple to figure out. Navigating through friends, family, and their own heads, Wes and June fumble towards a unique happy ending.

Wow, this book was incredible. It's funny, sad, tender, and exciting. The only other book by Pete Hautman I have read was Sweetblood, which I also enjoyed very much. Still, this one was above and beyond good. The characters, the emotions, the situations were all so raw and realistic. It showed the honest side of love - that it always isn't the clean-cut, love-at-first-sight other books make it out to be. On the contrary, Hautman creates a rather messy situation for these poor characters. I found it difficult to sympathize with June sometimes, as she wasn't very nice a lot of the time. But Hautman gives her a viable back story to explain her reserve. Readers won't be able to help but root for Wes, especially the males out there. Which brings me to one last comment: this book is equally great for girls and boys. Each will have someone to identify with, and the scenarios are common enough to speak to just about anyone. Hautman writes all of his secondary characters excellent too, with Wes' friends supporting him and June's acquaintances having their own agendas. I'll say it one last time - this book was amazing. A short read that's highly recommended!

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

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