The Vast Fields of Ordinary

Oct 26, 2011 Cory rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Twilight

Reading this book was painful.

Our main character, Dade Hamilton, is an idiot. I wanted to pimp slap him every other page. Dade makes Bella Swan look like Mother Teresa.

Just as a side-note, Dade is gay, but that's pretty much irrelevant to the plot. Dade wants you to think that his problems stem from being gay, but actually, he's just an asshole. There are kids who get tormented every single day because of their sexuality. Then we have whiners, like Dade, who are the Jesse Jacksons of the gay r...more

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Apr 27, 2011 John Egbert rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Drug dealers trying to convert teens, people who think smoking pot is cool, idiots

Recommended to John by: I can blame nobody for this but myself.

Shelves: wtf-dude, why-did-i-read-this, annoyed-after-reading

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was probably the worst LGBT book I have ever read. Here's why;

1. The drugs.

I have no huge problem with topics like drugs and alcohol in YA. But when you practically promote it and make it out like the norm, etc "Oh, and I smoked another joint,". The main character in the novel, Dade, is constantly smoking marijuana. His parents seem okay with it, and his mother even says "I'm okay with it every once in a while,". What? What?

His boyfriend, Alex, is a freakin' drug dealer for chrissakes. It's...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Wigs rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-clubs-and-buddy-reads, queer

First of all I want to say that often my favorite books to read are any fiction books that have queer themes. So I was hoping to be pleased no matter what, and I seem to think of myself as a forgiving person when it comes to books (in fact before this I couldn't really name any book in recent history I'd read besides Twilight that I would consider 'bad') Unfortunately, I quickly began to realize that this book is in fact, awful.

Although some of that is to blame from the back cover. I know that a...more First of all I want to say that often my favorite books to read are any fiction books that have queer themes. So I was hoping to be pleased no matter what, and I seem to think of myself as a forgiving person when it comes to books (in fact before this I couldn't really name any book in recent history I'd read besides Twilight that I would consider 'bad') Unfortunately, I quickly began to realize that this book is in fact, awful.

Although some of that is to blame from the back cover. I know that authors aren't responsible (right?) for the summary on the back of the book, but this one seemed to describe that something was going to happen. "A tragic event that would change the course of Dade's life." So I was waiting to read about this event. From the back of the book even mentioning, one would think it was going to be the inciting incident, otherwise why spoil, right? And I waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and fucking waited some more and nothing tragic happened until about the last chapter, and it certainly didn't seem to change the course of the narrator's life much in any way. The worst part was that while I was waiting and waiting for something INTERESTING to actually happen, I kept imagining how it was going to happen, like "oh here it comes, this is it, something horrible is going to happen right about now...." and no, nothing happened. The plethora of events that I imagined were possibly going to happen were much more interesting than what even does happen, which is, may I repeat myself again, pretty much nothing by the time we get there anyway.

This book goes absolutely nowhere.

Underneath all the nothing that happens to the main character, a continuous mention of a missing girl is brought up. There is meant to be some 'deep' symbolism, in context of the main character, the little girl getting lost at the beginning of the summer and magically found (with no explanation of what even happened to her) at the end, and I can't for the life of me ever figure out why the main character even cared for a second beyond a superficial level about it. I certainly didn't care about her, because the narrator didn't make me care.

The main character/narrator Dade I didn't find likeable at all. At first I thought I would, but then I realized he had no interests aside from poetry and bands with really cliche names. He seems to have no will of his own and lets his friends convince him how to act and what's cool, including participating in the very cult-like and disturbing head-shaving party which is about the time I decided I wanted to be done with this book (however I continued til the end, I'm not one to leave a book once I've gotten most of the way through.) We read pages and pages of him sitting out by the pool and moping about in his room and going to backyard parties and each event seems to be even more mundane then the other. Then when it comes to the boys he's paired up with, the parts of the book that could actually be interesting, the sex is skipped over and barely even mentioned, using about a sentence to describe that anything even happened. Worst of all, at the end of the book, the narrator tells us that he is writing a book and it is called the Vast Fields of Ordinary like it's going to be some amazing life story. So the book is in fact self-aware, and yet it has no idea what a terribly uninteresting, vast field of boring it was.

I guess I should have known by the title that nothing was going to happen. But still.

The writing itself was terribly weak as well. Not only were there a few spelling and grammar errors (though I suppose that's the editor's fault for not catching them before publication, and dammit, this is the second edition of the book, you'd think they'd catch the errors by now), but the author writes like a 14 year old writing fanfiction. Anytime a character is introduced we are treated to a ridiculous amount of sentences that interrupt the story in order to give us a description of what they looks like. For example, when the main character is at a diner and a waitress comes us, he immediately tells us "she was wearing sparkly barrettes and [blah blah]..." when there is certainly a better way, if you must tell us this detail, to weave it into the story better. As they say in film, 'show, don't tell.' So at least make a description part of your action, like perhaps he notes the waitress tucks the pen in her hair behind her sparkly barrette or something, instead of giving us very middle-school simple sentences to talk about what someone is wearing. There were several other instances of that, however it was when I came to the part about this waitress when I realized 'wow, this writing is awfully weak.' This book also suffered a bit from the Juno-syndrome, where the author was writing how he thought teens talked to one another and it seems painfully forced and dumbed down.

I think I've covered enough what went wrong here. Basically weak writing centered around almost zero plot. Just descriptions of someone's boring summer. I have never read a book packed with that much nothing, except perhaps Twilight, which unfortunately, I read right before this one.

There is plenty of good queer fiction out there. This is not one of them. (less)

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Mar 17, 2011 Nikyta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nikyta by: Juli

Shelves: m-m, little-or-no-smexing, contemporary, bubbles-safe, ya, pb-or-hc, dont-like-the-ending, angst, published-on-amazon

3.5 stars

I have a hard time rating this one because nothing really happens besides some mild angst on Dade's part and a brief scene at the end of the book. I also hated the ending but after I got into the story, I didn't really want to stop reading it.

I loved the characters. Well most of them. Dade is funny in a sarcastic, somewhat mellow, what-do-I-do-now type of way and I liked that. Lucy, Dade's lesbian friend, brought Dade out of his shell and made him into a funny, likable person. Alex was...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Jacob Staggers rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book a year ago, and it's narrator quickly became one of those characters who stuck with me as I moved on to other books. (spoilers) He is a young man dealing with his parents dysfunctional relationship, his own burgeoning sexuality, and the rejection from the young man he loves. This book beautifully depicts what being a gay teen can be like. Life for many teenagers is not sanitary or politically correct. If you think being a drug dealer or excessive smoking and drinking aren't real...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Jeffery Looper rated it 4 of 5 stars

***The Vast Fields of Ordinary***

Dade Hamilton is a teenager graduating from high school, and this is a novel that draws a conclusion to his high-school life -- it is the "last summer" until he leaves for college and begins a new chapter in his life. But it is a summer full of surprise, excitement and tragedy. He has Pablo, a boy from his school who has messed around with him for years but has always failed to acknowledge their relationship. He meets Alex, whom he falls in love with over the sum...more

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Sep 18, 2012 earthy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ccbc-choices, ya, romance

I'm tired of all these Poignant, Gritty, Real Life Teen Stories full of sex and drugs and alcohol and Meaningful, Fleeting Moments and Parents Who Don't Get It and the ever-present high school caste system of jocks and nerds and everything in between. I mean, I suppose that really is some people's experience, but far too often in novels it comes across as melodramatic and manipulative, an adult looking back Meaningfully at his/her teen years and Coming Away With An Important Lesson.

Ahem.

The Vast...more I'm tired of all these Poignant, Gritty, Real Life Teen Stories full of sex and drugs and alcohol and Meaningful, Fleeting Moments and Parents Who Don't Get It and the ever-present high school caste system of jocks and nerds and everything in between. I mean, I suppose that really is some people's experience, but far too often in novels it comes across as melodramatic and manipulative, an adult looking back Meaningfully at his/her teen years and Coming Away With An Important Lesson.

Ahem.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary is an important book, primarily because we definitely need more stories about the teen LGBTQ experience. Also, the author really does have a way of grabbing you with clever phrases and a likeable narration style.

So it's an important book. But not a very good one.

Dade is a put-upon, whiney narrator without any real charm. His situation--being inexplicably stuck on Pablo, his not-really-boyfriend who treats him like dirt and covers up their liaisons by having a steady (naturally obnoxious) girlfriend--is lamentable, and when Dade finds and immediately falls in lust/love with the conveniently gay but not terribly interesting Alex, you do sort of hope things will work out. The subplot with Dade's parents fighting off an inevitable divorce is frustrating, as both of them are cardboard cut-outs rather than fully realized characters, and even the charming Lucy, Dade's conveniently lesbian friend who has a "problematic" past in LA, is really nothing more than a stereotype (albeit a fun one).

Yes, the story's heart-wrenching and moderately appealing, but nothing that happens here hasn't basically already happened in a hundred other YA Coming Of Age books (in particular it reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower), and, perhaps most problematic of all, it's hard to really CARE about anyone or anything.

I also suspect (though I could be totally wrong here) that the story is at least somewhat autobiographical and might have benefitted from a bit more removal from the actual events (a point ironically mentioned by Lucy in the context of Dade's writing, i.e., that it's often obvious he's writing about himself, and he needs to make things more universal).

I do hope that if an LGBTQ teen or ally picks this up, he/she will get something good from it. Personally, I'll keep looking for something that feels more authentic and less Deeply Meaningful.(less)

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Sep 10, 2012 Evelyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

This honestly have to be my current favorite book of all time.
Why?
Well, the story centers on a strange, out-of-the-ordinary town where anything can happen and no one ever seems destined to leave. The oddest of things tend to happen in the background which provide the most unexpected of metaphors, if you bother to look for them. Containing the most modern, casual sort of philosophy ("Stars look so much like streetlights...") that we've carried around our heads for centuries.
As for the characters...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Abbe Hinder rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: love, adventure, contemporary, dial, male-pov, glbt, reviewed

The plot of this story is similar to other books about gay teens but there were so many twists and surprises that set this book apart from the rest. The best character had to be Alex Kincaid himself! He was mysterious, loved sex, did drugs, and knew how to party. What I learned from this book was that, if you pushed the one you love away for long enough, they won’t be waiting for you and they will move on. Also that having to watch as they become happy with someone else could lead to drastic thi...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Carey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: age-15-to-18-high-school

Really well written, believeable story about a high school senior gaining the confidence and maturity to live his life on his own terms. He has physical encounters with a guy who won't otherwise acknowledge their relationship, but he meets a cute boy who happens to be an underachieving drug dealer. The characters and the story are so well observed that it feels real. At one point, as his parents' marriage disintegrates, the story is almost bleak, but the main character is really likeable and the...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Yinglin Chen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: freshman-year

The Vast Fields of Ordinary is an appropriate title for this Being 18, and going off to college in another state in a few months, things are pretty hectic in the life of Dade. Dade's life in general is pretty complicated, and definitely not like a teenager at all.

He's different, and not like the other teenagers that live around him. Life is complicated for Dade, but he doesn't have a choice but to live through all this trouble. Being bullied for his sexuality, is heartbreaking and really rude....more

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Jan 21, 2012 Cris rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was about a boy who had problems with his family. His mom and dad weren't doing so good and on the verge of getting a divorce. To top it off, his "boyfriend" wasn't acting like one. his boyfriend was still in the closet and wasnt planning on coming out anytime soon because he had one of the hottest girls in school. At least this is his last summer before college, but what will this summer bring? It brings crazy evenings and parties and a boring job at a super market. As well as meetin...more This book was about a boy who had problems with his family. His mom and dad weren't doing so good and on the verge of getting a divorce. To top it off, his "boyfriend" wasn't acting like one. his boyfriend was still in the closet and wasnt planning on coming out anytime soon because he had one of the hottest girls in school. At least this is his last summer before college, but what will this summer bring? It brings crazy evenings and parties and a boring job at a super market. As well as meeting a mysterious kid named Alex who sells drugs. Can this trouble maker be someone in his life or just another guy to mess around with? Turns out his summer ends up being more interesting than he thought.
The theme of this book is that you shouldn't let the things people say to you put you down. Throughout the book, he was called a faggot a lot. Not only that but he was bullied for being a faggot. An idea would be that kids struggle a lot when their parents fight too much or on the verge of getting a divorce. In this book, he started smoking weed a lot more because of all his troubles. He wanted to get away from his parents so he did this to stay come. Another theme or idea would be yourself. He shaved his head for the thought of being different. As well as having a boyfriend and being with him in public even though he knew people would judge him.
What made the book so good is that many people can relate to it. I liked how brave the kid was because not all gay people are out, especially teens. I also liked that it seemed real like the author wrote it from experience or from a friend's experience. He put so much feeling and emotion into it. That's what makes a book good, the emotion in it. THe parts tha make you want to cry or the parts that make you feel like you're right there with the character. This is what made this book so good.
I would recommend this book to any kids who might have trouble with bullying for being gay or anything like that. Actually, I would recommend this book to everyone because once you start reading you won't be able to stop. This book shows what it's like to find your true identity and many kids would like that. Not only that but its a good read for everyoe and shows how things can change for the worst or for the best. (less)

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Jan 06, 2012 Roger Market rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having just read a bad–mediocre gay novella that was more porn than anything else, I read this book in two days—between work and sleep and my second anniversary celebration with the most wonderful man in the world—and it completely wrecked me. For one thing, I couldn't stop reading. That hasn't happened to me for a long time, for a book I've never read. I literally did not want to stop reading it, not even to go to bed.

The story is engrossing from the start, and while it is not perfect (because...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: age-high-school, diversity

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!

*******************************************

A lot of people criticized this one for being so angsty, but I must like angst, because I really liked it. Dade has just graduated high school in Cedarville, Iowa, and though he comes across as introverted and detached, his life has a lot of drama. First off, he knows he's gay. There's his not-boyfriend Pablo, who has a physical relationship with Dade but wants to keep his girlfriend and jock status; there's Alex, the ne...more

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Apr 23, 2011 Ozimandias rated it 2 of 5 stars

Burd graduated from the Iowa Writers' Workship and the book takes place in a Cedar Rapids-type of place. All fine so far. The main character Dade is a gay kid from a middle-class family with stereotypical problems (mom drinks, dad works a lot and has affair). He himself is plagued with the issue of being in a secret relationship with the Sexican, Pablo, the hot athlete. Apparently, Pablo had a girlfriend and wanted Dade on the side. Dade wanted more, Pablo couldn't abide, and their relationship,...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Vladimir rated it 4 of 5 stars

Amazing. I had a hard time sleeping after finishing this book simply because I was heartbroken. The author didn't invest much on sex scenes ,unlike others, to highlight this book and yet I caught myself wanting to read it again because the sheer pang of sorrow I feel for it. On one hand, I can't exactly say the book was tragic because Dade was able to endure the summer and came out stronger after everything that's happened but on the other hand, I can't exactly describe it as a triumph either be...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Top 2 Bottom Reviews Interviews and More added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
I am going to confess to picking this novel up based solely on the beauty of its title. I had no preconceived expectations of the book, and to say that I'm impressed is more than accurate. Nick Burd is a new voice in YA fiction, and based on this stunning debut novel, he will be a voice to be recognized well into the future.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary are those limitless expanses of the average American suburbia, where the perfect lawns surround perfect houses and serve as the façade which blurs...more
I am going to confess to picking this novel up based solely on the beauty of its title. I had no preconceived expectations of the book, and to say that I'm impressed is more than accurate. Nick Burd is a new voice in YA fiction, and based on this stunning debut novel, he will be a voice to be recognized well into the future.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary are those limitless expanses of the average American suburbia, where the perfect lawns surround perfect houses and serve as the façade which blurs the reality of what happens within a very average American family.

Dade Hamilton is a teenage boy who is straddling the line between child and adulthood, and his story is told during the summer months before his freshman year of college. Dade’s parents are going through the motions of marriage, medicated and barely eluding the inevitable, while Dade passes time coming to terms with his homosexuality, confessing his sexuality to inanimate objects in his home. Dade spends much of his time dreaming of floating away from his life in Cedarville, ghosting from time to time, believing that his “new home was in the life that was waiting somewhere on the other side of summer.”

Dade is in, for lack of a better word, a relationship with the consummate high school jock, Pablo Soto. Pablo is detached, contemptuous, and deeply in denial of his own sexuality. It’s a sad statement when a young man wants confirmation so desperately that he’s willing to suffer the abuse and humiliation of being nothing more than a warm body to satisfy someone’s unacknowledged urges, but that’s precisely the circumstance Dade finds himself in, until the night he meets and becomes fascinated by a boy named Alex Kincaid.

Alex is the perennial bad boy—a drug dealer and an underachiever who knows precisely who he is and who doesn’t pretend to be anything or anyone else. While his character may be entirely questionable, what is never in question is that Alex is who Dade needs at the time, a boyfriend who expects Dade to simply be himself, a boyfriend who never makes Dade feel ashamed of who he is. Where Dade once confessed his sexuality to the ether, he eventually finds himself verbalizing, for the first time in his young life, his love for a boy.

As the summer ends, Dade crosses the threshold, leaving his childhood behind in The Vast Fields of Ordinary where sometimes extraordinary things can occur. The reader follows Dade on a journey of the death of innocence; it is a journey he begins as a boy and is a journey that won't deliver a happy ending because there’s still much further to travel. It is a story, however, that will continue with the potential for hope, and sometimes that’s as much as we can expect.

Nick Burd has delivered nothing less than an impressive coming of age story, filled with emotion and beautiful imagery, stitched together by a cast of characters who complement one another and who delineate and articulate the fears of the imminent and the unknown. The Vast Fields of Ordinary is a book I would not hesitate to recommend to any fan of the YA genre, be they teen or adult, gay or straight. The book is articulately written, never condescending to its intended audience and never wavering in its message. It is honest, touching, and is acutely sensitive to the difficulties of growing up in a world where you don’t feel as though you fit in.

I will be anxiously awaiting Nick Burd's next novel; I can guarantee I'll be reading it.

Reviewed By: Lisa (less)

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Jul 21, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-loss, teen-coming-of-age-boy, teen-romance, teen-sexual-issues, teen-family-issues, teen-lgbt

Dade Hamilton spends his senior prom in the boys' bathroom drawing a monument to the one he loves. The only problem is, the one he loves is on the dance floor with his football buddies and popular girlfriend, and not only won't acknowledge Dade in public, he barely accepts him in private during their secret rendezvous. With parents lost in their own suburban misery, and a soul sucking job with the high school heathens that have ignored or tormented him for years, Dade's last summer before colleg...more Dade Hamilton spends his senior prom in the boys' bathroom drawing a monument to the one he loves. The only problem is, the one he loves is on the dance floor with his football buddies and popular girlfriend, and not only won't acknowledge Dade in public, he barely accepts him in private during their secret rendezvous. With parents lost in their own suburban misery, and a soul sucking job with the high school heathens that have ignored or tormented him for years, Dade's last summer before college seems likely to be just as long and lonely as his teen years in the closet have been. Things begin to look up, however when he stumbles into a beautiful boy from the wrong side of the tracks and a smart-mouthed girl from California moves in next door and becomes Dade's first real best friend. Nick Burd's debut novel beautifully captures the limbo and realization of the summer after high school, powerful inpact of peers to open new worlds, and the escape and awakening of teens becoming who they always wanted to be. Mingled throughout the novel is a somewhat clunky side plot about a missing girl, which is rather obviously supposed to parallel Dade's progress in finding himself, and distracts with a weird almost paranormal angle. The abrupt and unexpected ending and afterward seem out of character with the rest of the story, almost as though the novel is semi-autobiographical, and Burd can't stand for us not to know every detail of how things worked out, and what he had to go through. He ties up every end in twisted knots, that I wish he'd left open for us to imagine, as Dade has just begun to imagine his future. Dade's progress toward finding his path and coming out of his shell is the real story here, and just when we reach the pinnacle, Burd flips it around and makes it about something else. Without the last ten pages I would have given this at least 4 stars, but still, it's a good read. Give it to transitioning teens whether gay or straight and tell them to write their own ending.(less)

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Jul 06, 2010 Kassa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Vast Fields of Ordinary stands out in the dense genre of young adult fiction. Although it’s emotional and filled with angst, it’s also edgy and daring. It puts teenage behavior on display with all the rebellion, antisocial yearning mixed with tentative forays into drug and alcohol use. This is not a book parents will give to their kids to learn from but there is so much captured within these beautifully written pages that readers can’t help but identify and learn from the characters. I can easil...more Vast Fields of Ordinary stands out in the dense genre of young adult fiction. Although it’s emotional and filled with angst, it’s also edgy and daring. It puts teenage behavior on display with all the rebellion, antisocial yearning mixed with tentative forays into drug and alcohol use. This is not a book parents will give to their kids to learn from but there is so much captured within these beautifully written pages that readers can’t help but identify and learn from the characters. I can easily see why this book was nominated for YA genre in the recent Lambda Literary awards. If you’re a fan of young adult fiction, read this book.

The story follows the main protagonist Dade as he struggles through the summer after high school and before college. This is a time of learning and growth for Dade in many ways, both positive and destructive. He’s learning to recognize unhealthy relationships, such as the one he has with the deeply closeted Pablo. Breaking away from the cycle of cruel behavior and late night hookups is not easy for Dade and only the appearance of a new friend in crazy, outrageous Lucy and new crush Alex propel Dade in new directions. Yet these directions are questionable at best with Alex’s job as a minor drug dealer and Dade’s growing frustration with his home life.

This is of course at the heart a classic coming of age story, one that has been told countless times. The repetition of the theme somehow never manages to dilute its continued importance and relevance. There have always been teenagers coming out to themselves, friends, and family and searching for acceptance and recognition. Here Dade is in many ways a typical quiet teenager. He’s picked on at school, which he accepts and ignores as much as possible. He’s bullied by girls and boys alike, never defending himself and struggling to ignore the growing hurt. Dade accepts for years a pseudo friendship with Pablo. Pablo dates a popular, bullying girl but messes around with Dade on the side, treating Dade like a disposable, convenient release.

Pablo and Dade’s complicated relationship forms a driving force in the story as Dade slowly learns to let go of his false dreams and accept his reality. It’s a difficult, complicated process and likely one Dade couldn’t have accomplished without the appearance of a new crush. Dade may not always be a likable character with his actions and thoughts. He struggles with understandable emotions and doesn’t always make the right choices. He vacillates between his emotions and acts out against his parents. He uses his upcoming College freedom to rebel, drinking and doing drugs without fear of repercussions. His parents, who do truly love him but are wrapped up in their own drama shows the complexity of teenagers and parents at that cusp. None of the characters are saints and often they act in selfish, predictable ways but they are likely to resonate with readers.

The writing is compelling and technically great. The prose is crisp, clean, and nicely detailed without ever slowing the pace or boring the reader. The pace is quite even and the pages fly by quickly as the action moves from one scene to the next. The typical, recognizable party atmosphere of newly graduated high school students stands out with its cruelty and desperation. Again, these are timeless scenes that may not offer something uniquely different but are still engaging and absorbing. The graphic nature of the various actions – from sex to doing drugs to vomiting from drinking – is offered without remorse or shame. The edgy quality to the story helps cement the authenticity of its actions, not afraid to go the dark corners no one wants to admit teenagers get up to. This doesn’t celebrate those behaviors but honestly depicts the kinds of things teenagers do that parents want to ignore.

The underlying issue of Dade’s sexuality, specifically his homosexuality, is an interesting inclusion. It’s clearly a main theme but Dade’s struggles with life, relationships, and identity feel more universal. On the one hand that broadens the audience who can identify and relate to the characters, but it also slightly washes out the affect of Dade’s sexuality. Several times I felt the entire story could have been told even if Dade had been straight. This helps show that the problems affecting young men and women are much bigger than sexuality while keeping that thread important and relevant. It doesn’t take over the story and dominate and I’m left feeling conflicted if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

On the whole this is a completely enthralling read, almost not always easy. There are a few missteps such as the prolonged subplot about the missing autistic girl, Jenny. This obsession mirrors Dade’s angst in a lot of ways but often too obscurely to make the point the story is trying. Instead it feels more distracting and convoluted. Often the most sympathetic of the cast, Alex, struggles to understand Dade’s obsession with Jenny, eventually accepting without understanding. This confusion is likely to mirror the reader unfortunately. Additionally the characters of Alex and Lucy are truly stunning. Both deserve more than the few mentions in the book, though they are so compelling they threatened to take the book over. I’d love to see both of these characters get their own stories; their complex personalities richly deserve it.

If you haven’t read this offering, now is the perfect time to pick this up. It’s not exactly a light hearted beach read but it has a great narrator voice that will keep you glued to the story. While nothing earth shattering or ground breaking may be included, Vast Fields of Ordinary still offers something important, relevant, and not to be missed. The excellent writing, great cast, and honest portrayal are highly likely to resonate with readers of all kinds.(less)

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Jun 04, 2010 Evanston Public Library added it

Dade Hamilton is graduating from high school—and he’s a pretty likable guy, if not slightly awkward. And although he holds his own, he still gets harassed on occasion. At school, he’s thrown a gay slur every once in a while…possibly in part, because he is gay. While not not yet "out of the closet,” and despite a secretive sexual relationship with a popular guy on the football time, Dade plans to come out to his parents after he’s left for college. That is, until everything changes: his dad’s hav...more

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May 27, 2010 Troy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'mma just keep it plain and simple

LIKES:
-the description of Dade and Alex's relationship, it was cute how Dade realizes that not only he's gay but he has feelings for another boy
-the character Lucy, I mean this was the only character I'd really ever wanna meet

DISLIKES:
-the blatant stupidity of the main character. He sits with boys who pick on him?? Uhh, okay what's up. He sleeps with a boy who hits him, he's a blind alcoholic, and the whole bookish/timid front he puts out there is a total chara...more

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May 11, 2010 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dade Hamilton just finished from high school, and he is getting ready to enjoy his last summer before heading off to college. Little does he know, but it is going to be filled with all sorts of changes.

The first of the changes relates to the fact that he has known that he has been gay for years. The kids at school used to tease him about it, but he said or did little to confirm or deny the fact. What everyone doesn't know is that he was having a relationship with Pablo, one of the most popular g...more Dade Hamilton just finished from high school, and he is getting ready to enjoy his last summer before heading off to college. Little does he know, but it is going to be filled with all sorts of changes.

The first of the changes relates to the fact that he has known that he has been gay for years. The kids at school used to tease him about it, but he said or did little to confirm or deny the fact. What everyone doesn't know is that he was having a relationship with Pablo, one of the most popular guys at school. Pablo, on the other hand, enjoyed the time they spent together, but was really confused about his feelings and really didn't want to take them any further. Pablo's girlfriend really wouldn't appreciate knowing what is going on.

Then, Dade meets Alex Kincaid, who ends up becoming Dade's first real boyfriend. For the first time, Dade seems to understand what it is like to have someone in his life who is comfortable with showing him affection.

Dade is also dealing with the fact that his parents' marriage is crumbling. His father has gotten involved with a woman he met at a poetry class, and his mother is struggling with the fact that her life has not taken the path she had wanted.

In the background, the whole town is dealing with the disappearance of a 9-year-old girl. Everyone fears that she was kidnapped or something even worse, but they find themselves also going on with their daily lives, just wondering. Dade, in particular, can't seem to get the little girl out of his mind.

Through the book, Dade is finding more confidence in himself and in those around him as he starts to come out to the people he cares about. These people include Fessica, the younger sister of the bane of his existence and a girl who crushes on him; the lesbian niece of a neighbor who has moved in for the summer and ends up becoming his new best friend; and a band leader who is Alex's best friend.

This is a first novel for the author, and it received rave reviews in a lot of sources that look at teen literature. I think a big reason is the rich characters and the full inclusion of everyday life in the plot. A lot of novels are so focused on the main characters and the core plot that the periferal aspects of our everyday lives. Burd has really capture that in the lives of his characters.

Dade is an incredibly likable protagonist. You want him to find a place in life in which he can be happy. This is a great read and one that is likely to be looked over by many readers.(less)

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Mar 30, 2010 Brenna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dade Hamiltion is the main character's name. This is his last summer before college and all he wants to do is get out of his crappy town, Iowa. There is one thing that Dade has going against him no matter where he seems to be and that's the fact that he's gay. Yes, Dade Hamiltion is gay. He tells his ceiling fan "I'm gay" everyday in hopes of eventually coming out to his parents. His mom is a pill popping mother who cares for Dade. Dades father is in another world of his own, trying to reach out...more

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Jan 12, 2010 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, queer, fiction

My initial draw to this book (aside from the fact that it was queer lit), was the title and the cover, which should teach me to never judge a book...well you know how it goes.

This was very much angsty/emo teen lit. It feels along the lines of American Beauty and Cruel Intentions (though it's been a while since I saw the latter, so we'll stick with the former). It could probably be compared with Catcher in the Rye but with more sex (none of it graphic that I remember).

Life in the suburbs is kind...more

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Dec 08, 2009 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-queer

Gay teen in the Midwest, tired of shitty town, tired of fucking an in the closet jock dickhead, tired of his parents disintegrating marriage. During his last summer at home he makes a great friend comes out and meets a boy. Alex Kincaid is as hot, intriguing, and mysterious as his name implies. Good romance but then tragedy unexpectedly strikes and fucks it all up. Good for queer and straight teens looking for realistic romance with a side of “problem” fiction. I think Sarah Desson fans might di...more

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Nov 04, 2009 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, bildungsroman, for-reviews, teen, boy-books, romance, realistic

Dade is in that awkward space between high school and college. His kinda-relationship with Pablo is just about over, his parents' kinda-relationship with each other is just about over, and Dade is recognizing that he wants more than a kinda-relationship with anyone. Enter Lucy, a neighbor's niece who was kicked out of her own house for being a lesbian, and she and Dade quickly become close friends. Enter also Alex, whom Dade meets briefly at a party and immediately crushes on. With Lucy's encour...more

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Aug 09, 2009 Theresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The one thing I really didn't like was that Pablo died at the end. I mean, I know it's a novel, and something drastic is supposed to happen, especially if it's a YA novel. But it felt like his death served more as a purpose to define the end of the summer, and I'm not sure it defined Dade as a character as much as it could have. I don't know- I'm also glad that it happened at the end, so that we could experience Dade's whole summer without having that tint everything else that happened. I guess...more

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Aug 05, 2009 Marlan rated it 4 of 5 stars

A good read. When I started it, I prepared myself for a long and bitter tale of closeted suburban hell. Dade's parents are splitting up, his hot closeted boyfriend is a selfish asshole, and he has no real friends in school. Thankfully things go up from here. The summer after he graduates he meets up with Lucy, a spitfire lesbian who becomes his bff. She's awesome and gives him the emotional support he's been starving for. Dade also meets Alex, an adorable drug dealer who's crazy sweet and is pre...more

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Jul 28, 2009 Doug Beatty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen

This book was tremendous. The characters are so life like and it really makes clear the angst of being a teenager. The story centers around Dade Hamilton who is secretly having sex with Pablo, one of the stars of the high school football team. Pablo also has a girlfriend and does not recognize any relationship with Dade other than that of clandestine sex partner, and Dade begins to question whether that is what he really wants. Dade is also having problems with his parents, his mother is driftin...more

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Jul 26, 2009 Cornmaven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: hs-adult, high-school

I can't decide how I feel about this book - it's a story about a boy who has graduated high school and this is his last summer at home before going off to college. Needless to say he is lost and searching for himself.

Himself happens to be gay, still in the closet, with an abusive boyfriend. Parents are on the throes of a divorce. He doesn't fit in at school, and it's not just because he's gay, but that's a big part. Loneliness is a big theme here, and Burd got the painfulness of it completely ri...more I can't decide how I feel about this book - it's a story about a boy who has graduated high school and this is his last summer at home before going off to college. Needless to say he is lost and searching for himself.

Himself happens to be gay, still in the closet, with an abusive boyfriend. Parents are on the throes of a divorce. He doesn't fit in at school, and it's not just because he's gay, but that's a big part. Loneliness is a big theme here, and Burd got the painfulness of it completely right.

There were parts that I thought Burd had the adolescent identity thing down pretty well, and other parts where I thought he was injecting a bit too much maturity into the lines some of the characters would say. I found myself saying several times, "that's not how a kid would put it, except a really mature kid, and then I don't think he would be in this situation." I also did not like the casual acceptance of the pot smoking and drinking binges that most of the characters were constantly doing. Usually the main character comes to the conclusion that this is just running away from life and that it's stupid. But in this book, the new boyfriend, who is more emotionally mature than the old boyfriend and kinder, is also a drug dealer. What's up with that?
I did like Burd's painting a picture about love as something that is mutual and caring (which Dade didn't have with the old boyfriend).

I appreciated the friendship between Dade and the new girl in town (Lucy), who happens to be gay as well. But I thought that some of her behavior was, while typical 18 year old stuff in some circles, was too accepted even though it was irresponsible. Why did Burd feel it necessary to have these two go to a secret gay bar in the little town and have that gay bar populated by men in their 30s and 40s? That could be a pretty dangerous situation for an 18 year old, and I didn't like it. And there was one too many characters that just happened to be gay.

If the 'good' characters are all druggies living in an old farmhouse, or working at some dead end fast food job because the 'bad' characters have to be all the rotten HS jock/cheerleader types, what does that say about this kid's future? I sure hope he doesn't keep picking losers.

I got that in small town Iowa, there's not much to do. I know this because of my farm. However, if Burd wanted to be accurate, all of the druggies would have been meth addicts, and the farmhouse would have been the lab. I wondered why he didn't do that...

In the end, I don't think this would necessarily appeal to a wide audience, and I am not sure it really gives a good picture of a kid coming to terms with his sexual orientation. For goodness sake, he doesn't even practice safe sex!

The story of the missing autistic girl, didn't work as well as it could have. I really didn't get why it was in there. I think it was supposed to be some sort of parable/allegory/metaphor for what was going on with Dade, but it didn't work for me. I think if Burd had had Dade and the girl, Jenny, interact at some point, maybe that would have helped.

The writing itself was well done, however. I just wish Burd would have had the character be older (maybe mid-twenties) so a teenager wouldn't be interested in it, pick it up, and get too many bad ideas, along with the good ones.
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