Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Yes
Level: High School

Awake in the World tells the coming of age story of two teens, Zach and Vanessa, who live on different ends of town, making them socioeconomic opposites.

Zach has a deeply depressed mother who is still caught up in mourning the loss of her husband, who died in an oil rig accident several years prior. Zach feels like he’s destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, and despite his incredible artistic ability, refuses to apply to college, seeing no point when he has to be the breadwinner and support his mother and young sisters.

Vanessa is newer to town, obsessed with the stars and cosmos, dreaming of studying astronomy at Cornell and being just like her hero, Carl Sagan. She’s overly optimist at times, and believes dreams can be achieved, no matter what obstacles stand in the way. She has a future, and often times can’t seem to understand why others don’t. Vanessa, like Zach, also has “daddy issues” seeing as her father left when she was younger, and love for the stars was something they shared.

A big portion of the book is Zach and Vanessa meeting and developing a relationship, from friends to something romantic. It’s very cute, but also immature at times and not very realistic. The writing style, however, is great! Everything is pretty much straight to the point, without unnecessary details, and it’s easy to follow. Sometimes the characters seem to have the same arguments over and over, which can be quite taxing, but for the most part, the pacing of the story is fast, and flows well.

Overall, a nice, quick read that often deals with deeper issues while still being hopeful and optimistic! ( )