100 Sideways Miles

Finn, the epileptic son of a famous sci-fi writer, lives on the site of the catastrophic Mulholland Dam failure. Narrator Kirby Heyborne's measured, carefully enunciated narration reflects the contemplative nature of this 17-year-old, who measures time in the distance the Earth travels: 20 miles per second. Finn is reserved, but his loyal friend for billions of miles has been the foul-mouthed, funny Cade Hernandez. Heyborne captures their mirror-like personalities as they banter. Finn's life is remarkably similar to that of his alien, epileptic namesake in his father's famous book, and he feels trapped by the book's story. When he falls in love with Julia, whom Heyborne imbues with a sweet mysteriousness, Finn tests the boundaries of his sheltered life in the shadow of many sorrows. L.T. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 16, 2014
Smith dives back into the mind of a teenage boy in a story that’s less brutal or apocalyptic than his recent work (readers who know him from Grasshopper Jungle or Winger may keep waiting for the other shoe to drop), but similarly full of existential questions and sexuality run amok. When 16-year-old Finn Easton was a boy, he and his mother were crushed by a falling dead horse in a freak accident—Finn’s mother died, and he broke his back, leaving him with recurring epileptic episodes and a scar on his back. In the present, Finn is navigating relationships with his father, the author of a cult science-fiction novel; his raunchy best friend Cade; and a new girl in town, Julia. Road-trip shenanigans, condom-purchasing embarrassments, drunken parties, and stumbling attempts at first love all factor into the novel, but amid the loopy escapades, Finn’s musings about the universe’s constant dispersal and recycling of atoms, along with his habit for measuring time in the distance the Earth is forever racing around the sun, provide a memorable perspective on human (in)significance. Ages 12–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.