My Most Excellent Year

Steve Kluger's, My Most Excellent Year has indeed lived up to its claim as being "a novel of love, Marry Poppins & Fenway Park." Much like the main characters themselves, these are three impossibly different things that all creatively mesh their way into one refreshing story. The plot follows three different freshmen at a high school in Massachusetts who find themselves falling in love, coping with tragedy, and having to grow up. While this may seem like the average high-school-coming-of-age story, that thought is quickly dissolved when you discover that one is a homosexual, another seeks advice from a 6-year old deaf child, and the third has a secret service agent for a best friend. While each deals with their own personal struggles, they seek comfort in each other and find solace in knowing that they will never truly be alone. This book takes you straight back to high shool, in the best and worst of ways. The excitement of finding love for the first time and following your dreams is definitely there, however so is the endless drama and painful task of learning true responsibility. The witty and honest dialogue of these three students is a pleasant reminder that, yes things really can be that simple sometimes. Even in the harshest of tragedies and the greatest of triumphs they never fail to remain true to themselves, no matter what the price. Overall...so far so good.