Gordon Jack
Plot Summary
In many ways, Solomon Burke is a normal teenager. He's sixteen-years-old living in Upland, California with two loving and supportive parents. What makes him different is that he's agoraphobic and has severe panic attacks whenever he ventures outside his home. As a result, he hasn't been outside for three years, two months, and one day. But then he meets Lisa and her boyfriend Clark and suddenly feels a longing for friendship.
Excerpt
“Solomon watched them from the door as they walked down the driveway and got into Lisa’s car...It hadn’t happened before, really, so he tried to think about something else to keep from freaking out. But it wouldn’t go away. He felt it. It was small and it was complicated, but he felt it all the same. He wanted to follow them. He wanted to walk outside and follow them into the world.” -
Critical Evaluation
I give this book a 10 out of 10, mostly because Solomon is such a compelling character (I haven't even mentioned that he's gay which causes another set of complications in the story.) When he meets Lisa and Clark, he realizes how much he misses human relationships. But being their friend means leaving his safe place and venturing into a dangerous world where he could get hurt.
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