Gr 7-12 To Charles Goldberg, life at 16 is a real bummer. He's overweight, not very good at most of the things he does, and intimidated by the women in his life. He thinks a lot about sex, and he doesn't have a girl friend. But most of all he's bothered about his beloved grandmother, whose deteriorating mental condition (due to Alzheimer's disease) has begun to affect the family in adverse ways. Finally Charles' doctor father decides to put Gustel in a nursing home. The night before she is to leave, she mercifully dies in her sleep. Charles, his mother, and his young brother are saddened but relieved by her death; his father reacts very peculiarly, however (and readers will probably figure out how Gustel died so conveniently). A few months later, his father, a heavy drinker and smoker, suddenly dies, too. Despite this rather slight plot, Klein's novel is a good one. The devasting effects of Alzheimer's on those close to its victims, the difficulty of placing a family member in a nursing home, and Charles' growing understanding of both his family and himself make the story a powerful one. The characters are well drawn, especially Charles' younger brother Kaylo, and Charles, never the dud he sees himself as at the book's beginning, is a likable male protagonist who becomes even more likable by the book's end. (It's too bad the jacket artist didn't read the book. The Charles shown isn't overweight, doesn't wear glasses, and is good looking.) Audrey B. Eaglen, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland Copyright 1987 Cahners Business Information.
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