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A review by phaneem
Just in Case by Meg Rosoff
4.0
I have decided to start posting my reviews on here as well, as it will probably make it easier for those who are interested in reading what I have to say.
I actually found this book rather weird. David (or Justin) Case is a teenager who suddenly realises that life is not what it seems. After saving his brother from toppling out of the window in his bedroom, his whole life changes, as he realises that he has to outwit fate, some way or another. So, he decides to change his name to Justin and to completely alter the way he looks, in the hope of having fate pass him by - not notice him.
During the course of the book, many things happen to Justin - he meets an older girl, Agnes, and makes friends with a boy from school, Peter. He runs away from home and lives in different places, and while away, he experiences some disastrous events, which lead to him contemplating his life even more.
Just In Case was a very good read. It captures the coming-of-age of a teenager who is troubled by guilt (at least, that's how I saw it) and who tries to invent ways to counter-attack the notion of the futility of life. I didn't like Agnes' character very much, but I did like Peter and his sisters, who really and truly supported David (Justin) during his whole Justin phase.
I particularly liked the twist that came in the last few chapters of the book. It wasn't a happy twist, but it did sort-of explain why certain things happened... To me, at least. It's not a happy twist, I warn you. But it was completely unexpected. I would have never though that something like that would happen.
But I do have an important objection about this book. David (Justin) Case was supposed to be 15 years old, and his parents just let him leave home and go and live elsewhere, without showing any objection whatsoever. I thought that was very weird. Which parent would let their 15-year-old child leave home, without knowing exactly where they are supposed to be (or at least wanting to know)?? I found that part of the story to be a little off-putting, as if his parents didn't really care about him that much. I might not bother (have bothered) you, but I did not like it.
You can also find my review here:
http://funny-wool.blogspot.com/2011/03/just-in-case.html
I actually found this book rather weird. David (or Justin) Case is a teenager who suddenly realises that life is not what it seems. After saving his brother from toppling out of the window in his bedroom, his whole life changes, as he realises that he has to outwit fate, some way or another. So, he decides to change his name to Justin and to completely alter the way he looks, in the hope of having fate pass him by - not notice him.
During the course of the book, many things happen to Justin - he meets an older girl, Agnes, and makes friends with a boy from school, Peter. He runs away from home and lives in different places, and while away, he experiences some disastrous events, which lead to him contemplating his life even more.
Just In Case was a very good read. It captures the coming-of-age of a teenager who is troubled by guilt (at least, that's how I saw it) and who tries to invent ways to counter-attack the notion of the futility of life. I didn't like Agnes' character very much, but I did like Peter and his sisters, who really and truly supported David (Justin) during his whole Justin phase.
I particularly liked the twist that came in the last few chapters of the book. It wasn't a happy twist, but it did sort-of explain why certain things happened... To me, at least. It's not a happy twist, I warn you. But it was completely unexpected. I would have never though that something like that would happen.
But I do have an important objection about this book. David (Justin) Case was supposed to be 15 years old, and his parents just let him leave home and go and live elsewhere, without showing any objection whatsoever. I thought that was very weird. Which parent would let their 15-year-old child leave home, without knowing exactly where they are supposed to be (or at least wanting to know)?? I found that part of the story to be a little off-putting, as if his parents didn't really care about him that much. I might not bother (have bothered) you, but I did not like it.
You can also find my review here:
http://funny-wool.blogspot.com/2011/03/just-in-case.html