Saturday 24 May 2014

Slam

Finished May 22
Slam by Nick Hornby

Sam Jones is fifteen and living with his mom. Sam has always been aware of the difficulties his parents faced when his mom became pregnant with him at sixteen, but history is repeating itself as Sam's girlfriend becomes pregnant. Up to now, Sam's focus has been on doing well in art at school emulating Tony Hawk at the local skateboard park. Sam has a poster of Hawk in his bedroom and he often talks to it, and asks for advice, and the advice, drawn from Hawk's book, has usually felt apt to Sam.
There are several instances in this book where Sam goes to sleep at night and then has what feels to him as a jump to the future, finding himself awaking to a world several months later where he lacks the knowledge of the intervening time. These experiences help him in facing his future and dealing with the new challenges his situation has brought him.
I liked Sam's relationship with his mother, which felt close and respectful, without losing the parenting needed. His father's role was less close, and not always as helpful. His girlfriend's parents provided another type of parenting, and there were some interesting aspects to how they viewed their daughter and Sam, and how they changed as the situation developed.

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