Before I Start the review - an Apology. I have left it a while between reading the book and the review, so this is going to be short and sweet, and unfortunately my memory of the story is not as great as i would have liked.This is a coming of age story, about a teenager struggling to fit into his own skin and grow up. A little bit of a strange kid, with a troubled background. His dad died when he was younger and his mum is an alcoholic. This is a bit of an emotional mixed bag of a story. Barnes writes with a very witty point of view, mixed in with a sadness and pity for the kid, and with the kid having great grit and determination.
Having to look after his wayward mother who is both a drunk and a crazy cat lady, Karl struggles with schools and jobs and tries to balance the two, and every so often his mother raids his stash of cash and he has to start over. You pity him for his background and the struggles he entails. But this is somewhat overshadowed by the peculiarness of Karl in general. Barnes had a great grip on the characters involved and portrayed them very well.
Its quite a dark teen book but this is not necessarily a bad thing, as it gives a great insight into 'real' teen issues. Its more of the issues not always talked about in books - the not fitting in, the mistakes made, and the rawness of some peoples living circumstances. It was very well written, interesting and a great book which i would ask any awkward teen boy (and girl) to read.
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