Larry and the Meaning of Life (The Larry Series) - Hardcover

Janet Tashjian is the author of acclaimed books for young adults, including The Gospel According to Larry, Vote for Larry, Fault Line, Multiple Choice and My Life as a Book. Disney adapted Tru Confessions into a television movie starring Clara Bryant and Shia LaBeouf. Tashjian studied at the University of Rhode Island and Emerson College. She lives in Needham, Massachusetts, with her family.

I’d spent hours – make that years – mulling over my character flaws. First off, my attention span was scattered at best; I continually zigged and zagged through endless lists of ideas, some of them implemented, many of them not. I found it difficult to be in social situations for too long.1 But the trait I never seemed to be able to improve upon was how difficult it was for me to let people see the ‘real’ Josh. I’d spent an enormous amount of effort hiding behind screen names, bumper stickers, and secret identities with no luck. In the end, I was Josh Swensen2, end of story. I still cringe when I think about hiding the real me from Beth on my website. Whenever we’re on the cusp of an argument, Beth continues to remind me of that particular transgression.3

As I biked down Route 2, I gave myself a reluctant pep talk. Face this guy like a man. Find out what he’s up to. Let him see you’re not afraid. But I was afraid. I’d been run over by political mobsters, framed as an embezzler, even attended my own funeral – all I wanted for the next few months was to sit in my hole and do nothing. The last thing I needed was a washed-up celebrity stalker stalking a washed-up celebrity like me.

I locked my bike in the parking lot and headed down the hill to the pond. After a few moments I spotted Gus wading along the shoreline. I had to give the guy credit, the water was sixty degrees, tops. Hoping the cool water would bolster my efforts, I pulled my jacket and shirt over my head, kicked off my sneakers, and waded in. The water’s temperature was jolting, but its clarity was even more of a shock. I could see my jeans, my feet, and several trout swimming by4. As I closed the space between the mysterious stranger and me, I found myself inexplicably grinning. This was the most alive I’d felt in months.

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1. Make that large social situations. I could have an in-depth conversation with someone at a bus stop but high school? It gave me the creeps.

2. Or was I Larry? Even I didn’t know anymore.

3. The Gospel According to Larry illustrates this point.

4. The pond is an oligotrophic kettle hole which means not a lot of organic nutrients grow there. Between that and the ban on outboard motors, the water is exceptionally clean.