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The Universe Versus Alex Woods

Gavin Extence

4.09 · Rating details · 20,058 ratings · 2,360 reviews

A tale of an unexpected friendship, an unlikely hero and an improbable journey...This novel might just strike you as one of the funniest, most heartbreaking novels you've ever read. This is the story of seventeen-year-old Alex Woods - born to a clairvoyant mother and a phantom father, victim of an improbable childhood accident - who is stopped at Dover customs in ...more

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Paperback, 407 pages

Published May 9th 2013 by Hodder & Stoughton (first published 2013)

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Feb 07, 2013 Julie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adults, contemporary, from-the-uk

Wow. I laughed. I cried. I laughed while I cried. What a quirky, beautiful, funny, heartbreaking and overall incredibly touching book.

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Jul 06, 2013 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Sometimes, life just lines up in a way that seems like it isn't just a coincidence. Like this:

I'm teaching Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five this fall, so I re-read the book last week. Then, Gaiman's new book was released, and I read that one. I signed into Goodreads to review The Ocean at the End of the Lane (which was really good) and saw Gaiman's recommendation for The Universe Versus Alex Woods. I bought the book without reading more about it because I needed something to read on vacation, and ...more

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May 26, 2013 Annet rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age, family-ties, weird, heartbreaking, europe

Extraordinary story... loved this book. A contender for best in 2013.

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Jun 19, 2013 Erin Laidley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

The best description that I can think of for this book is that it reminded me of "a mixture of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Up, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and The Fault in Our Stars." While that may seem like a strange combination, elements from all of these works are seamlessly combined to create a humorous, poignant novel that will leave a lasting impression.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods is written as a first person retrospective narrative in the style of Kurt The best description that I can think of for this book is that it reminded me of "a mixture of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Up, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and The Fault in Our Stars." While that may seem like a strange combination, elements from all of these works are seamlessly combined to create a humorous, poignant novel that will leave a lasting impression.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods is written as a first person retrospective narrative in the style of Kurt Vonnegut, whose works play a rather important role in the novel: the reader is immediately exposed to the action at the end of Alex's story, and is then brought back to the beginning to see how the events leading up to the present situation influenced and shaped his personality and worldview. At first glance, it is a coming of age story about a young boy, Alex, who lives a very unconventional life: he doesn't know who his father is, his mother reads Tarot cards, he is a bit of a celebrity after having been struck by a meteorite when he was young, and his best friend is a Vietnam veteran. However, it is also a thought-provoking work of fiction that deals with many heavy subjects - such as bullying, free will, life, death, euthanasia and morality - in a respectful and meaningful way.

The protagonist, Alex, is a logical, naive, introverted young man with a compelling, authentic voice. There is a lot of social disconnect between him and his peers, due to the fact that he enjoys learning, voices his opinions - regardless of their appropriateness - and tends to go off on many tangents. As a biology student, I found all of the detailed information that Alex provided in regards to his scientific learning to be very interesting (which, from what I've seen, places me in the minority on that count). It is hard not to empathize with Alex, whose childlike innocence and unique worldview make him quite easy to like.

The friendship between Alex and Mr. Peterson is very much like that of Russell and Carl in Up: a young boy befriends a grouchy old man who lost his wife, and eventually the two begin to consider each other as a family of sorts. I loved watching this friendship grow and develop. Though it was filled with difficulties, the influence that this friendship had on both parties was quite powerful - especially towards the end where it is shown just how much they are willing to do for each other. At the beginning of the novel, Alex is a boy, but with Mr. Peterson's help, he becomes a man with a heightened sense of integrity and a new outlook on life.

Overall, this was an excellent novel that will leave you with many ethical and existential questions, and will inspire you to read some of Kurt Vonnegut's works.

This review can also be found at The In-Between Place. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this work in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jan 09, 2014 Nikki rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, contemporary

Oh, wow. The Universe Versus Alex Woods starts off seeming like it's gonna be a quirky sort of book: the narration is matter of fact where it possibly shouldn't be, and the situation Alex is in on the opening pages is an interesting one. Unfortunately for everyone who picked it up on the basis of that, it's not really the kind of book it turned out to be. I don't know that I'd call it funny -- it's not laugh out loud funny, anyway; more "wry smiles" funny -- and I don't know that I'd call it Oh, wow. The Universe Versus Alex Woods starts off seeming like it's gonna be a quirky sort of book: the narration is matter of fact where it possibly shouldn't be, and the situation Alex is in on the opening pages is an interesting one. Unfortunately for everyone who picked it up on the basis of that, it's not really the kind of book it turned out to be. I don't know that I'd call it funny -- it's not laugh out loud funny, anyway; more "wry smiles" funny -- and I don't know that I'd call it heartbreaking, either. It made me cry, but the simplicity of the narrative voice kept it from being maudlin, from dwelling too much on any of the important details, which is what for me made them strike all the more forcefully.

It is the story of an unlikely friendship, that's definitely true, and it's a beautiful story from my point of view. It's fairly apparent from the first chapter, to me, what exactly is going on here: what matters is how we get there, and how much less funny/quirky it seems by the end, and how much more sad and true and beautiful. But if you don't want to know, don't read any further in this review.

What was apparent to me from the beginning is that this is a book about an assisted suicide. It didn't even need to be stated clearly: trying to get back into the country at Dover, the urn of ashes, somehow it all just clicked for me. Possibly because this is an issue that I've thought about at great length, forwards and backwards. Because if I were Alex Woods, I'd do exactly the same things, in exactly that order, and I would feel exactly as right about it.

The friendship between the two is the fun and quirky part; the fact that, when Mr. Peterson becomes ill, Alex chooses to take care of him, and then to make sure that he is also allowed to die when he's ready, and the understanding between the two... This is an idealised version of how this might happen, and the fact that Alex narrates means that we don't pull up and see this from another character's point of view -- how they might worry about Alex's reactions, how he might feel -- and that might make some people feel that this is a book somehow advocating for euthanasia. Which I think it is, but only in the sense that it makes it clear that to be allowed a choice about how and when we die makes it a lot easier to die -- and that for some people 'how' and 'when' might be very clearly defined, as they are for Mr. Peterson. But I don't think it advocates euthanasia as the only way. It just emphasises choice, and how very comforting it is to many people to know that they have control over even that last inevitability. It even emphasises choice in smaller matters, like what drugs you take.

If you don't understand why someone would want assisted suicide, this might help. If you don't understand why someone would want to help someone commit suicide, I think this would definitely help. And if you already understand both of those things, then it's still something that articulates all this very clearly, and might just give you words or clarity for yourself in the future.

I am definitely, definitely keeping this book. I will probably lend it to people, and I hope I never need to read it again myself, but I can imagine times when I might want to. ...more

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Jun 13, 2013 Yodamom rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-books, netgalley, new-authors, tissue-box-special, trauma-recovery

It all started with a drive, thirteen grams of marijuana and an urn of ashes. This is the story of Alex Woods from the age of 10 to 17. Alex is one unique and complex character. His life was shattered into a new realm when at age 10 a meteor crashed through his bathroom ceiling and hit him on the head. He lives with his mother a tarot card reader and is receptive to more than most. She doesn't try to fit in and her beliefs are not mainstream. He is already seen as different in his community. ...more

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May 19, 2013 Fiona Robson rated it did not like it · review of another edition

“A tale of an unexpected friendship, an unlikely hero and an improbable journey...This novel might just strike you as one of the funniest, most heartbreaking novels you've ever read. This is the story of seventeen-year-old Alex Woods - born to a clairvoyant mother and a phantom father, victim of an improbable childhood accident - who is stopped at Dover customs in possession of 113 grams of marijuana and the ashes of his best friend, Vietnam veteran Isaac Peterson. What follows is a highly ...more

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Jun 06, 2013 Tania rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

In life, there are no true beginnings or endings. Events flow into each other, and the more you try to isolate them in a container, the more they spill over the sides, like canal-water breaching its artificial banks.

This was a very sweet coming of age novel. I enjoyed learning about meteors, tarot cards, epilepsy and Vonnegut. If you enjoyed The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I highly recommend this. My critisism is that I found Alex to be a bit one-dimensional. I realize that at sixteen you are ...more

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Jun 26, 2013 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-favorites

What a sweet book. It's about a boy from a small town in England who is odd and a loner, but also very smart and likeable. He rather reminds me of the autistic kid in Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend - or the main character of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - but more social and less autistic - but he seems like he's on the spectrum or at least a kid with some quirks. Toward the middle of the book, I start seeing similarities to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. BTW, if you What a sweet book. It's about a boy from a small town in England who is odd and a loner, but also very smart and likeable. He rather reminds me of the autistic kid in Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend - or the main character of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - but more social and less autistic - but he seems like he's on the spectrum or at least a kid with some quirks. Toward the middle of the book, I start seeing similarities to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. BTW, if you have not read any of the three books I just mentioned, add them to your pile as they are 4-5 star books.

It's also about a gruff solitary old man, also smart and sweet on the inside - and how they meet and their relationship as it evolves and what it means to the both of them. Other characters who make an appearance are the boy's mother, a beloved dog, an older sister type figure (friend) from school and other minor characters such as kids at school, some bullies, some not, neighbors, etc.

It is written in an odd way, it starts at the end, goes to the beginning and skips around a bit, but by about 1/4 way through, you are hooked and everything makes sense, things start clicking into place like magnets and you are rolling down the reader track eagerly anticipating every event as it unfolds. At it's most basic, it sounds like a typical boy/man bonding story that's been done a hundred times, but it has surprising twists and a modern slant. This would have been 4 star except I kicked it up to 5 because sometimes 5 star books for me are where I learned new things, I learned a ton about Kurt Vonnegut, astrophysics, growing marijuana and epilepsy. What an odd combination, right? Well, it isn't fair to leak out too much more of the story, you'll have to read it yourself to see how it all fits together. I recommend everyone read this book.

I must add: for those of you with sensitive eyes and constitutions, I must say there are bad words, both British and American. If you have read the description, there is also marijuana use and cultivation, that is very casual and matter of fact, although the main character (young teen) does caution the other person not to use marijuana because it's not good for him - so there is that. Anyway, if these things bother you, try to overlook so you can enjoy this lovely book. So for those of you 16+ and not impressionable in the least, please read this book. ...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Maya Panika rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The tale of Alex Woods, age 17, as told by himself, in a steady, logical, borderline-autistic voice.

Struck on the head by a meteorite when he was a child, Alex lives a quietly extraordinary life. An epileptic, obsessed by maths, astronomy and Kurt Vonnegut, Alex is a deeply geeky, lonely boy with few friends but a complex inner life. The story is rich in references - His Dark Materials, A Prayer for Owen Meany, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Catch 22, Schubert - but most of all, Kurt Vonnegut, ...more

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Jun 21, 2013 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2013, netgalley

The book starts out with Alex being arrested for having a stash of pot, cash and Mr Peterson's remains in his car. I thought..okay so this is going to be one weird book. Then Alex Woods tells his story.
The story involved is Alex from age 10 until 17. Alex is such a fresh, vibrant voice. I LOVED his character. He is smart, questions lifes mystery's and is somewhat brain damaged from a rogue comet that hit him in the head.
This book just kept suprising me. It makes you wonder how far would you go ...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reading-from-my-bookshelves, favorites

So near perfect a read I can't think of any reason not to give it 5 stars. Straight to my favourites list.

I thought Alex such a wonderfully engaging, fascinating character. When I started reading the novel I thought it was headed along similar lines to Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, or maybe The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, both of whom have quirky individuals as narrators, but it quickly became its own story, delightful and charming and entirely unique.

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Oct 05, 2014 Claire (Book Blog Bird) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, contemporary

This review is also on my blog: www.bookblogbird.weebly.com

When a book opens with a seventeen year old protagonist beings stopped at Dover customs in the middle of what seems to be a nervous breakdown, with a large bag of marijuana and an urn full of ashes on the passenger seat, you know there’s going to be some pretty interesting explanations coming up.

The Universe vs Alex Woods tells the story of Alex who, as a ten year old, was hit on the head by a tiny meteorite. This fantastically This review is also on my blog: www.bookblogbird.weebly.com

When a book opens with a seventeen year old protagonist beings stopped at Dover customs in the middle of what seems to be a nervous breakdown, with a large bag of marijuana and an urn full of ashes on the passenger seat, you know there’s going to be some pretty interesting explanations coming up.

The Universe vs Alex Woods tells the story of Alex who, as a ten year old, was hit on the head by a tiny meteorite. This fantastically improbable accident lead to Alex developing epilepsy, missing a whole chunk of school and becoming kind of an oddball. Whilst running away from the school bullies one day, Alex meets Mr Peterson, a curmudgeonly Vietnam veteran. They bond over a mutual love of Kurt Vonnegut and become unlikely friends.

I absolutely fell for this book and it’s become one that I keep recommending to people, to the point where they say, ‘Yeah, it’s okay. You already told us how much you loved that book.’

Alex’s voice is very hard to sum up. His epilepsy caused him to miss a large portion of secondary school and as a result he is very awkward socially, a misfit, pretty geeky (and not in a good way). He doesn’t really get euphemisms or sarcasm and seems a little naive for his years, but despite this (or maybe because of it) at times he just seems to cut through to the truth of things. The chapter where Alex explains misuse of the word ‘gay’ is hands-down the funniest thing I read all year.

I really liked Alex’s mum - it was really refreshing to read about a single parent and someone who lives a very alternative lifestyle (she is a clairvoyant and owns a tarot card shop) who isn’t a flake or dropout. Mr Peterson was superb, as was Alex’s friendship with Ellie, the foul-mouthed girl in the year above.

The storyline itself has many strands. It’s about the difficulty of social acceptance, coming of age, friendships, the right to die, all of which are dealt with sensitively and thought-provokingly, but also with humour and the ending was one of the most moving I’ve ever read.

10/10
...more

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Aug 14, 2013 Jacki (Julia Flyte) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I fell heavily for this book. In turn funny, heartwarming, clever and tearjerking, it's an absolute delight from its immediately engaging start through to its finish. It's about (and narrated by) Alex Woods, a quirky, bookish, misfit teen who has suffered from epilepsy since he was hit by a meteor at the age of 10. He befriends an older man, Mr Peterson, and among other things, they bond over a love of Kurt Vonnegut novels. We know from the opening paragraph that Mr Peterson will die, but the ...more

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Nov 21, 2013 Elly Sands rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'll never find the right words to express how I felt about this book other than "I LOVED IT"! The author must be very sensitive and aware of the human condition. This story of a young boy being hit on the head by a meteorite and his ensuing experience is so imaginative, creative, clever, funny,poignant, full of questioning morality, science, love, dedication, quirky characters and twisting plot makes for a very compelling and can't put down read. I fell in love with the young boy as well as the ...more

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Feb 07, 2016 Marie the Librarian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: difficult-subjects

I loved this book. I adored Alex. Hes such a smart kid. I love his insight and curiosity. MORE PEOPLE LIKE ALEX. And Mr. Peterson. And their friendship. its just precious. This book gave me Extremely loud and incredibly close vibes. Something about the atmosphere. I loved this book. So much. And such an important theme.

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Jan 13, 2014 Tony rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What an unexpectedly good book. Trouble is now i'm going to have to read Vonnegut and Nietzsche!

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Jun 05, 2013 Ceecee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, great-endings, needs-a-reread, need-to-own, ebook, netgalley-arc

Well, here's the thing, if a book has:

*An introverted bookworm epileptic who loves learning about math, physics, astronomy, and who openly admits that his hobbies are definitely "gay" (in the high school context)
*Unexpected friendships
*Classical music
*Book discussions
*A dog
*Questions about Life and Death and the Universe

I am bound to want to pick it up. Especially with that kind of synopsis. It's one of those few synopses that are spot on. I am all about curious incidents and unexpected ...more

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Oct 30, 2013 N.E. David rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I first met Gavin Extence at a booklaunch in Waterstones in York. He attracted quite a following and I naturally wondered why. I met him again a few months later at Wakefield Literary Festival. Another following. This time I discovered that he is not only a remarkably nice young man but that he has also written a remarkably good book. No wonder he's popular.
His followers are predominantly women. That's no surprise in literary circles as the vast majority of readers are female, a fact prospective I first met Gavin Extence at a booklaunch in Waterstones in York. He attracted quite a following and I naturally wondered why. I met him again a few months later at Wakefield Literary Festival. Another following. This time I discovered that he is not only a remarkably nice young man but that he has also written a remarkably good book. No wonder he's popular.
His followers are predominantly women. That's no surprise in literary circles as the vast majority of readers are female, a fact prospective authors would do well to recognise. You will guess from this that his book is neither an SAS thriller nor an historical naval drama but it's rather about character and relationships - two compelling characters (Alex Woods and Mr Peterson) and a binding relationship. It's also about assisted suicide and so it has a strong and contemporary theme. These three things alone (character, relationships and theme) are likely to make it a good book but then there's the writing - and that's good too. Mr Extence's prose flows easily across the page but is never in danger of becoming poetic or flowery. A good story, well told - what more could you want?
I've heard it said that if you enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time you will also enjoy The Universe Versus Alex Woods. And so you might, but not for the obvious reason. True, Alex is a 'challenged' teenager ('gay' as he chooses to describe himself - but not in the sexual sense) as is Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident, but Alex's disability (epilepsy) is not central to the book as is Christopher's autism. Alex will always be an outsider at school, epilepsy or not. What makes both these books enjoyable are those three essential ingredients of character, plot and theme - ie. the basics.
If I were to pick a couple of nits with The Universe it would be these. Firstly, the word 'blocky' which I had never heard before but which Mr Extence used repeatedly until it got on my nerves. But far more importantly, his need to 'book-end' the story by starting with Alex's arrival at Dover Customs. This admittedly makes for an interesting and engaging beginning - what is he doing there? where has he come from? and why has he got a stash of marijuana and several hundred pounds in cash? We would naturally like to know. But in terms of timeline, this part of the story belongs to the ending - what is it doing here? The answer, I suspect, is the modern requirement to provide an opening that is designed to ensnare the reader. I shouldn't complain, I did it myself in BIRDS OF THE NILE, but who was I trying to please? Myself, my agent, my publisher or the reader? One wonders ...
But none of these things detract from what is an extremely good book. I know Mr Extence is hard at work on another. The test of his ability as a writer will be if he can produce something equally as compelling but in a different voice. If he can, I will certainly be interested in reading it. ...more

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Dec 28, 2013 Peggy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, really-awesome-books

It's always great when you read a book that you have been wanting to read for a long time, that you have high expectations for, that has been rated highly by your GR friends, to actually be a 5 star read. It's even greater to read a book that you have no expectations of, hardly heard about before you started reading it, and has no indication of greatness based on your friends ratings because no one has read it, and to find out that that book is worth 5 stars.

What a wonderful story. Alex is one ...more

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Jun 30, 2013 Sooz rated it liked it · review of another edition

i'm only a couple of pages in, so only have two impressions:
1. it's immediately compelling
2. it's kind of simplistic writing. this isn't necessarily a bad thing. it is a seventeen year old narrator and an author's style and language should definitely match the chosen narrator. and simplistic is always preferred over trying too hard and failing at something more sophisticated. i know, i fail at that all the time!

so having finished it -and faced with finishing this review and giving out a star ...more

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Feb 15, 2015 Chris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Chris by: Kats

Shelves: uk-reads, 2016-reads

It took me a while to get into this (like more than 100 page), but stuck with it based on the fact it was recommended to me (hi Kats!), and it has a 4+ rating on GR. And I'm glad I did. I spent more than a year looking for it in new and used bookstores and finally (finally!) found it, of course, at The Strand.

I don't think I've ever met a character like Alex in literature before. This was a fun and heartbreaking read. I think it might be categorized as young adult, given Alex is a teen, but ...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Marleen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I received this book from Hodder & Stoughton through Nudge.

“Full explanations are much messier. They can’t be conveyed in five unprepared stop-start minutes. You have to give them time and space to unfold. (…) I’m going to tell you my story, the full story, in the manner I think it should be told.”

Alex Wood is not your average teenager. He didn’t have a conventional start to his life. With a clairvoyant mother who doesn’t know who his father is his life was always going to be a little bit ...more

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Jul 04, 2013 L.A. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, fiction, ya, humor, imagination

Posted first on Blog critics

Every now and then a book comes along that takes you in directions that are unexpected. When differing backgrounds collide we are often surprised at the outcome. Such is the experience of reading The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence.

Alex Woods lives in an oddly disjointed world. His mother is a bit different than other mothers, and he doesn’t know his dad. He also has the distinction of having been struck by a meteor when he was 10 years old. This added to Posted first on Blog critics

Every now and then a book comes along that takes you in directions that are unexpected. When differing backgrounds collide we are often surprised at the outcome. Such is the experience of reading The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence.

Alex Woods lives in an oddly disjointed world. His mother is a bit different than other mothers, and he doesn’t know his dad. He also has the distinction of having been struck by a meteor when he was 10 years old. This added to his woes growing up, leaving scars that are hard to ignore. Being very intelligent and rather bookish, he draws the ire of bullies at school.

Escaping these bullies is what brings an elderly reclusive widower, Mr. Peterson, into his life. In an effort to hide from those making his life miserable, Alex stumbles upon his garden and hothouse, where he finds safety hiding in a shed. Unwilling to let him go, those who are trying to make his life miserable vandalize the property.
When Mr. Peterson investigates the noise, he finds only Alex in the shambles of his garden. Alex knows from experience he can’t rat on those responsible, as his life will only get worse, yet he tries to convince Mr. Peterson of his innocence.

Even his mother is not a believer, so she overrides the objections from both sides and as punishment makes Alex report every day after school to help Mr. Peterson out. Little to either of them realize, they have a great deal to learn from each other. Due to the nature of Alex’s injury, he is a well-known personality, recognized everywhere he goes. Whether this is a hindrance or a help, he is not sure, but it certainly makes allowances for the strange existence he leads.
Mr. Peterson has his own problems, and since the death of his wife he wants nothing to do with the outside world. As his world collides with that of Alex, neither of them realizes the impact that such a fateful meeting will create.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods could be considered a young adult novel, yet there is a depth of meaning and perception that make it one step more. The morals and events that are threaded throughout are at times funny, yet also tragic. The story draws you in, dragging you along step by step as Alex and Mr. Peterson take on the very fundamentals of human rights, as well as the tragedy of everyday living.

If you enjoy interesting and unique experiences, you will find this to be the must-read of the summer. Not my usual reading material, I was at once charmed and enthralled. Beginning with Alex and how he developed his own personality, and moving toward a tragic and yet uplifting ending you will be hard pressed to put this work down.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods would be a great book for either a reading group or discussion group. It’s a must-have for your library, and a treat for both the young, as well as the young at heart. There is some very deep subject matter discussed, yet the end result is extraordinary. Gavin Extence is an author to watch for.
...more

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Oct 25, 2013 Robert Blumenthal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

For most of its 400 plus pages, this is a simply wonderful novel. My only complaint is that it was just a tad too long. I would have edited about 25-50 pages from it. That being said, I found the young narrator to be a totally wonderful character, and this rates as an excellent British coming-of-age novel. At the age of ten, Alex is struck in the head by a meteorite and miraculously survives with no more disability than epilepsy (not to downplay the significant disability that epilepsy is, but ...more

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Oct 07, 2015 Giulia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2015, young-adult, contemporary-fiction

I'd give it 4.5 stars .

Things I liked about this book:

- I love Alex's character and how well the author portraits him through words.

- I love that the story is in first person. It seems to go into Alex's mind. We are his audience.

- The fact that a 14 years old boy loves books so much that he manages to create a book club really struck a chord with me. I loved how mature he is for his age.

- I love that this book talks about euthanasia. It is a very difficult theme to talk about and I liked the ...more

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Jan 14, 2015 Stacey rated it liked it · review of another edition

I can understand why some people find this book endearing as I believe it falls along the lines of a comfort read for some people. The type of book they read to feel good, with a morality lesson involved. I also find that if something classifies as someone's comfort read that they tend not to mind if they've "read the story before" or any such cliches that may happen in the plot. While I certainly did not dislike this book, it wasn't the above described comfort read for me so I did find the ...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Tim Roast rated it liked it · review of another edition

I was expecting big things from this book as it had been hyped up as a book to look out for in 2013. Alas I was disappointed.

At times the book read more like a non-fiction book than a novel. If I wanted to find out about meteors and meteorites I would have bought an astrology book and if I wanted to know the road layout of Zurich I would have bought a map. The theory of everything and chaos theory also got mentions in sections I glossed over. But the reason for all the detail into various topics I was expecting big things from this book as it had been hyped up as a book to look out for in 2013. Alas I was disappointed.

At times the book read more like a non-fiction book than a novel. If I wanted to find out about meteors and meteorites I would have bought an astrology book and if I wanted to know the road layout of Zurich I would have bought a map. The theory of everything and chaos theory also got mentions in sections I glossed over. But the reason for all the detail into various topics is explained in chapter 10 where Alex, in discovering Kurt Vonnegut books (of which many of the plots are detailed in here), talks about Vonnegut's writing and how he explained everything in detail. I am sure that didn't mean slipping in boring bits about non-fiction topics.

So having started the book I was waiting for the good bits to come, and the further I got in the more I felt this must have been the ending as I was still waiting.

At first I thought the layout was that each chapter was part of the universe against Alex Woods. So in chapter 1 it was the police vs Alex Woods, then it was a meteor, then things like Epilepsy vs Alex Woods and School Bullies vs Alex Woods.

At all times it is hard to feel much for Alex. His character comes across as if he is a little Autistic. He takes everything literally (in the book he is called logical) and doesn't seem to feel emotion. He even thinks he knows better than doctors and argues it out with one pointing out that a diagnosis he made is clearly wrong. It was hard for me to feel for him, and he was main character of the book.

A character I could feel for was Mr Peterson, who we eventually meet in chapter 8. He is a US war veteran and now a retired widower. He had a no-nonsense approach and wasn't afraid to mince his words. He reminded me of the dad from **** My Dad Says. Unfortunately Mr Peterson doesn't stay like this. He loses some of his fight later on in the novel as he becomes ill, leading to him trying to commit suicide.

After Mr Peterson tries this for the first time Alex Woods resolves to help him live out his remaining independent years before his debilitating illness takes hold to the point where he is suffering. At that point Alex would help him go to a clinic in Switzerland, thus the get out option would be available only when absolutely necessary.

This is the real crux of the novel but given the preamble it is only the last fifth of the novel where it is finally covered.

There are some good touches along the way though. The meteor that hit Alex is described in great detail as now being in the Natural History Museum, in the vault, 100m from the dinosaurs. This led me on a short lunchtime trip to the museum to try and find it. I couldn't on such a short trip, but this sort of thing can bring life to a novel outside the pages of the book.

Also there was a good high-speed wheelchair chase, a good scene on a school bus, and a good farewell speech by Mr. Peterson as part of the book club Alex sets up. The speech was good because it had a double meaning where it was relevant to the book club, but also about himself.

And then the last few pages, particularly covering the death (and Kurt Vonnegut is used again), are good too.

Covering such an emotive topic will sell the book no matter what, and next time I'll remember not to raise my expectations. ...more

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Jan 04, 2016 Diane Yannick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

My first book of the new year was a winner. A debut by an English writer that made me remember why I love to read. Not, IMHO, a masterpiece of literary fiction, but just a darn good read. Alex Woods is proof that strange things do happen----meteorites do hit 10 year old boys, give them epilepsy and throw them into the spotlight. Bullies can always find targets and often show no mercy. Some kids, not many, do have clairvoyant mothers who might seem disengaged as parents yet when the chips are My first book of the new year was a winner. A debut by an English writer that made me remember why I love to read. Not, IMHO, a masterpiece of literary fiction, but just a darn good read. Alex Woods is proof that strange things do happen----meteorites do hit 10 year old boys, give them epilepsy and throw them into the spotlight. Bullies can always find targets and often show no mercy. Some kids, not many, do have clairvoyant mothers who might seem disengaged as parents yet when the chips are down have surprising insight. There are unpolished gems like Ellie and they do sometimes befriend kids like Alex. Friendships between grumpy old widowers and pre-teens do blossom. I bet there might be a book club that reads only Kurt Vonnegut books, somewhere. Yeah, and maybe all of these characters shouldn't appear in one book but it works in its own quirky way.

The friendship between Alex and Mr. Peterson was engaging, charming and full thought-inducing scenes. "If you had to relive your life exactly as it was--same successes and failures, same happiness, same miseries, same mixture of comedy and tragedy--would you want to--was it worth it?" As I read this question, I was like, "Hell yes!" Then I started to think, how would I feel if I had first hand images of war seared into my brain? Do I expect others to value life because I do? The author effectively avoided any preachiness which I appreciated as I like to do my own thinking. I loved Alex's take on algebra: "I knew how many zeroes were in a quintillion, but I thought that algebra lived in ponds."

I would love to see teens of liberal parents read this book. I just know that the themes would resonate with them. So, if you're ok with a disabled vet using marijuana and the notion of legal (Swiss) assisted suicide, then leave it on your teen's nightstand.

So it was about friendships, the power of books, and facing fear. "Fear sees demons where only shadows dwell." As for me, I see a new author who I definitely want to hear more from. ...more

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Jun 14, 2013 Annette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: loved-this

Alex Woods is a logical science geek, with ADD tendencies, who is blind to the intricacies of human interaction to the point where I wondered if he had Aspergers. This makes for quite a humorous and touching novel.

It was great to read such a powerful YA title that was set for the most part in the UK. I spend so much time reading US literature that to have a frames of reference in a book that I understand first hand was a true pleasure. The cover, with Glastonbury Tor on the front is gorgeous – ...more

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Gavin Extence was born in 1982 and grew up in the interestingly named village of Swineshead, Lincolnshire. From the ages of 5-11, he enjoyed a brief but illustrious career as a chess player, winning numerous national championships and travelling to Moscow and St Petersburg to pit his wits against the finest young minds in Russia. He won only one game.

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“If you had to relive your life exactly as it was – same successes and failures, same happiness, same miseries, same mixture of comedy and tragedy – would you want to? Was it worth it?” — 88 likes

“When I read these books, I no longer felt like I was confined to a very tiny world. I no longer felt housebound and bedbound. Really, I told myself, I was just brainbound. And this was not such a sorry state of affairs. My brain, with a little help from other people's brains, could take me to some pretty interesting places, and create all kinds of wonderful things. Despite its faults, my brain, I decided, was not the worst place in the world to be.” — 85 likes

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