the real thin line

Everyone knows that there's a thin line between love and hate, but these aren't the only ambiguous opposites out there. There's also a thin line between love and creepiness, hilarity and awkwardness, humor and sadness, sympathy and hatred, empathy and disgust, and the ever-intriguing adult and young adult literature.

And David Yoo's Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before has them all, with the lines drawn thinner than ever.

Stop Me is a young adult book, but it's written in such a literary style that it could easily cross the generation gap-- you don't have to be in high school to enjoy this book, you just have to remember what it was like.

Or not. Because Yoo captures the experience in such an awesome, vivid way that you'll be swept up in the high school experience no matter how many years have passed. It's true to the emotions, drama, and angst, yet written with a style most high schoolers could never dream to accomplish. So what could have been a fun, light (and potentially really annoying, given the narrator's typical high school self absorption) read -- one that you enjoy but don't think about once you close the back cover, filled with the same old slang and lackluster writing in an attempt to capture a current time -- is transformed into a book that really has the potential to be timeless.

Sort of like Romeo and Juliet, which is what the main character, Albert, compares his story to.

But without all the death.

Stop Me is the story of Albert Kim, a high school junior known as the "creepy mute" because of his refusal to participate in the social scene that hasn't accepted him since elementary school. He's such a loser that his only "friends" are a group of adoring 11-year-olds impressed with his video game and capture the flag prowess, and so awkward that when forced to interact with Mia Stone-- one of the prettiest girls in school and the recent ex-girlfriend of lacrosse god Ryan Stackhouse-- during their summer job together at a local inn, Albert has to resort to crazy measures just to be able to speak to her, like smacking himself in the face, cursing like a sailor, and being a general dick as he starts to fall for her.

Because, of course, this isn't just the story of Albert. It's the story of Albert and Mia, of how they fall in love, and how they fall apart.

Don't worry, there are no spoilers here-- it's nothing that Albert doesn't bitterly inform the reader in the prologue... though I will say that the ending isn't quite what you'd expect, in a good way.

You might be wondering why I'm even reviewing this book. "It sounds great," you're thinking (or I hope you're thinking, because otherwise my reviewing skills aren't working very well), "but a literary style and a failed romance? Really?"

Well, skeptics, let me put your mind at ease: Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before is also laugh-out-loud hilarious.

My new thing, apparently, is to read books so unexpectedly funny that I look crazy when I read them in public areas.

Stop Me is funny for two reasons. There are funny experiences: sad/funny situations like Albert's 11-year-old cronies (they have their own clubhouse), and scenes that are funny/so-awkward-you-almost-feel-uncomfortable-reading-because-Albert-is-so-socially-inept-its-painful. And then there's the voice, which is hysterical as well as literary.

Okay, I'm not just impressed, I'm jealous. How did he pull it off so smoothly?

But instead of just going on about it, I'll give you a sample of what I mean, when Albert notices that Mia's ex is absent:

"That's how it is with people like Ryan Stackhouse. Love him or hate him, his absence is palpable, and school life doesn't feel right anymore. You could almost taste it, the fact that he wasn't there that day. Incidentally, his absence tasted like popcorn chicken. I lie."

Albert's voice is descriptive and emotive, but peppered with cursing, pop culture references, and snide asides like the popcorn chicken that make him an authentic (if articulate) teen, rather than sounding like a 40-year-old trying to relate to youth.

And that alone makes the book worth reading, but the story is fantastic, too. Depending on what website you go on, more of the plot is revealed, but I won't reveal anything here that isn't in the prologue or back cover, because I hate spoilers myself, and the rift that gets in between Albert and Mia is a surprising one. So all I'll say is this: the situations Albert finds himself in-- both getting together with Mia and the bit I won't reveal-- provide ample opportunity for humor, angst, romance, friendship, and rumination on relationships (both friendly and romantic), and what it means to be a good person.

Which sounds pretty abstract, but it's another thing I love about this book. Albert is not always likable. But Yoo carefully balances the line between sympathy and disgust at his main character. The first person narrative allows us to see Albert's actions in a different way than those around him, to see the why. This, coupled with his tainted observations of the world around him and the fact that we know and care about him because of previous thoughts/actions, keeps you rooting for Albert even though you're aware when he's crossing a line.

I know: literary, right? But in a way that so uniquely captures the pressures of the high school social scene (for example, Albert can't merely date Mia-- he has to put himself back into the social radar and try to make nice with Mia's friends... while he even makes some friends of his own), and so hilarious.

So read this book. I'll admit that when it was lent to me, I wasn't all that interested (I mean, Romeo and Juliet?), and then, while I fell in love with the style immediately, I wanted the book to end on page 100, with the cute, happy ending and funny/heartwarming/adorable lead-up to it. But Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before is a completely amazing book from cover to cover.

And remember, if you have a mid-list book that you love, write an original review and shoot me an email. I'll post it and try to help get the word out for mid-list authors we love!