Beginning of Unbelief - Hardcover

Grade 5-7-- What starts as a rather ordinary coming-of-age story is given more appeal by the use of a journal format and the inclusion of a science fiction story the main character is writing. Hal, 15, is questioning the basic foundations of his life. He feels disconnected from his divorced parents and isolated at school. Writing in his journal, sketching, creating sculptures from trash, and adding chapters to his story, "The Beginning of Unbelief," are methods he employs to discover meaning in his life. Although the shifts in and out of the story can be jarring, the paralleling narratives give the book as a whole a deeper meaning. Jones accurately captures the bravado tone of a teenage boy. Hal can be goofy one minute, astute the next. The effect of divorce on young people is also explored. With both parents, Hal feels obliged to take on an adult role. They have their own concerns and little time or inclination to pay much attention to him. By the end of the story, he has achieved a greater understanding of himself and his father, and is better able to cope with the uncertainties of life. His growth is believable, not instant or complete. The book is nicely written in a thoughtful and descriptive style that uses vivid, evocative language. --Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, County of Henrico Public Library, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This wry, heartwrenching novel about growing up is made up entirely of entries from the journal of 16-year-old Hal, who lives with his mother and younger sister in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Wherever Hal goes he brings along Zach, the sharp-tongued fellow who started life 10 years ago as Hal's imaginary friend and is still hanging around inside his head. Feeling trapped in his mother's tiny townhouse, and torn by his parents' chilly silence since their divorce five years before, Hal starts the journal as a means of expressing his private thoughts. Jones provides his protagonist with an unusually compelling voice--he is plaintive without whining, a sensitive, talented writer and artist who is brash and untrained, but struggling valiantly toward independence. But best of all, Hal uses his journal to come to grips with Zach and to integrate Zach back into himself. (To this end, Hal writes a science fiction epic starring Zach, and discusses with Zach how the story should go.) In spite of its--apparently--intentional lack of grace, Hal's story is as engrossing as the "real" segments of this emotionally complex novel. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.