The Beginner's Guide to Living

Starred review from September 27, 2010
After his mother is killed in a traffic accident, high school senior Will feels nothing at first. Then, at his mother's wake, he falls in love with Taryn, the daughter of family friends ("I am the king of bad timing. Only a monster could think of love"). Pained by his loss, frustrated by his father and brother, and confused by his infatuation, Will begins to question life's meaning. His quest draws him to books from the likes of Seneca and Nietzsche, a passionate relationship with Taryn, experimentation with drugs, and some unlikely mentors. In this acutely insightful first novel, Australian author Hill laces Will's pained journey with the questions he lists in a notebook ("Do my mother's memories live in me?"), philosophical quotations, and his own memories of his mother. Almost nothing escape Will's notice (though his perceptiveness alone doesn't produce answers), and the mosaic of imagery and musings in his poetic, staccato narration offers thought-provoking ideas about grief and the universal drive to find a purpose. Although this novel begins with a death, it is a celebration of life, companionship, and love. Ages 14–up.

December 1, 2010

Gr 9 Up-With the sudden death of his mother, Will begins to question everything to find the meaning of life. He grieves as he searches through memory, religion, philosophy, art, and relationships. Still he is able to find no peace or happiness, except when he is with his new girlfriend, Taryn. Too soon that relationship, though vital, begins to wear thin as all Will finds are more questions and no answers. The Beginner's Guide to Life is a novel of someone in true existential crisis. The teen is thrown by the loss of his mother, which he cannot understand. The book is his quest. Its strengths are the relationships. Each and every one feels authentic: the father with his sons, the brotherly rivalry, the couple, but all of that is overshadowed by Will's need for answers. Beautifully written, this novel will appeal to teens who are deep thinkers and questioners.-Melyssa Kenney, Parkville High School, Baltimore, MD

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2010
Grades 9-12 After his mother is killed by a drunk driver, 17-year-old Will is shocked when he falls at first sight for beautiful Taryn at the funeral: I am the king of bad timing. Only a monster could think of love. The teens meet again when Taryns parents invite Will and his dad for dinner, and their immediate, all-encompassing connection begins to loosen Wills grief: The fact that I love her makes it possible to exist. Photography and philosophy help, too, and Will shares his pictures (interspersed throughout the chapters) and meaningful quotes with Taryn, whose sensitivity contrasts starkly with Wills remote dad and resentful older brother. Still, Wills struggles with the weight of his loss and the resulting surge of existential questions threaten to sabotage everything that sustains him. Set in Melbourne, Australia, Hills debut explores grief, first love, and first sex with poetic frankness that although occasionally mannered is also refreshing, whether Will is feeling suffocated by well-meaning neighbors or awestruck and alive as he imagines a map of the universe in Taryns freckled face.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)