My Never Ending List

I loved how the author allowed us to see the situation from two totally different perspectives.   Stewart looked at the world literally, his voice was honest and open. You never wondered what he had to say or how he viewed the world because he spoke openly and held nothing inside. Stewart knew he was special, he was gifted and he viewed the world in a totally different way and he was okay with that. I enjoy individuals like Stewart; you have to appreciate their honesty and their ability to express themselves freely. Individuals like Stewart bring out the best in people, they make you see the world in a different light, they make you feel that it’s okay to color outside the lines and that life is not all black-n-white. Ashley on the other hand, was worried about how the world viewed her and whether she fit into what the world considered normal. She was stressed out about life and her constant need to be normal. She wanted normalcy, and would do anything to achieve it. It’s alright to want normalcy in your life but reality has to be your main focus and you can’t expect everything in your life to be perfect.   People should accept you for you are and that is “reality.”

Stewart and his father have lost a part of their equilateral triangle when his mother passed away. She was the part holding them up and the two of them are trying to rebuild. Later, Stewart got a cat and his father got a girlfriend, not to replace the missing side of the triangle but for other reasons. The two boys have now moved into Caroline and her daughter Ashley’s house, a move the two teens are not 100% happy about. Stewart had wished for a sister but he’s not quite sure how Ashley feels about the situation. Ashley’s can’t seem to move past her parent’s situation and her father’s recent announcement. It’s a shock and one that Ashley refuses to tell anyone about: Ashley’s father is gay. After knowing this, how can her mother still be friends with him? The anger fumes inside her and it spills out into all areas of her life. I could feel the pressure building inside Ashley as I read this novel, anything that hit Ashley’s life set her off.  She was explosive; she was a fuse waiting to be lit.  As Stewart brings himself into Ashley’s life, I laughed as his literal self is sometimes more than their family is used to. Ashley does her share of complaining as her world is turned upside down although Stewart has made the same adjustments, his comments are silent. I really enjoyed the character of Stewart for he bent over backwards for Ashley. Ashley was so worried about public opinion that everything that she spoke was negative until Stewart came into her life. The characters make some mature adjustments during the story making this a great read.