Georgie
Gust, student at St Michael’s Academy, a renowned boarding school is at a
critical age where he neither knows what to believe in, whom he wants to be and
what is life should look like. Handicapped by Tourette’s Syndrome he has
difficulties finding his place in school and in society. Just his love for Claudia
can open him up and let him express his feelings.
I had
serious difficulties finding my way into the novel. The main problem was
Georgie who was, in my humble opinion, very poorly drawn. His character
provides through the novel too many different aspects and the behaviour shown
does not follow any clear line – just as the story. I was all the time
wondering where all this might lead to. At the same time I had the strong
impression of knowing the book because the parallels to well known
coming-of-age-novels are just too obvious but at the same time disappointing. Maybe
this is due to the disorder, maybe the story just lacks the congeniality other
novels provide.
