By Andrew Smith

Rating: 5/5

Three Word Summary: Rugby students fight

 

For some reason, I inadvertently find myself reading more young adult novels now than I did ten years ago when I was actually the same age as the characters in the stories. Something about them must remind me of a simpler time and that I’m still living in a relatively simple time.

Winger is by far one of the best of these young adult books I’ve read recently.

It wholeheartedly embraces the wild and debaucherous mind of a young man while deftly avoiding the stereotypical pitfalls that too often plague similar works. This is because it feels genuine and authentic.

As a former 14-year-old boy, I can assure you that the hyper-hormonal mentality of protagonist Ryan Dean West is no exaggeration. I might have found his obsession with every ‘hot’ girl at his school to be excessive if I knew it wasn’t true.

Andrew Smith perfectly captures the angst and ecstasy of what it means to be a teenager. Perfection means an imperfection of its characters. Ryan Dean fights with football players, his best friends and even himself. But the audience still roots for him because we empathise with those same struggles.

I don’t know much about rugby, or private boarding schools or the Pacific northwest, but I still found a great deal in common with the characters. They hit upon the same universal themes of love, friendship and camaraderie that we can all connect with.

Then there was the ending. Even when I saw it coming, that ending still punched me in the metaphorical gut. It’s deep and heavy, but what turned this book from good to great. Because excellent literature causes an emotional reaction to its characters. It was emotional alright.

Winger is divided down into lots of short chapters and written in straightforward easy prose that keeps you turning pages right until the finale. There are also plenty of comical illustrations that only further the narrative. It’s funny and sad at the same time, which is often difficult to do, but always appreciated.