This YA novel is about the power of stories for some teens and coping with horrible events. Nanette O’Hare is a smart student who does not have any real friends at first. She briefly befriends a teacher who recommends she reads an old classic of teen angst, The Bubblegum Reaper. They bond over this book, but then she tries to kiss the teacher, and he stops talking to her. But Nanette also comes to know the author of her favorite novel, a man called Nigel Wrigley Booker, and he provides her with some understanding of the world in a friendly way.  Booker introduces Nanette to a talented but troubled young man, Alex. The two young people become very close, but then Alex gets sent away to reform school. Nanette struggles with integrating with her peers. She is a bit of an outsider even though she plays soccer and excels in her studies. She doesn’t like to join in with what the other girls do, especially hooking up with boys and partying. Still, she does occasionally hang out with these girls and the boys who want to hit on her, testing out the waters. She goes through a phase of talking about herself in the third person, expressing her alienation with the world she is living in. But really she is drawn to reading Charles Bukowski novels and she can’t really deal with the kids who just want to fit in.

So  Every Exquisite Thing caters to teens who are engaged in the literary world and like thinking, and who find themselves unable to fit in at school. It’s not a great departure from some of the other great stories of teenage angst, but it is current for the modern world of teens. The tone of the book is well crafted although the plot meanders without getting far.  The unabridged audiobook is performed by Vanessa Johansson who brings a great range of voices, including the older men, the teachers, the boys, and her friends.

© 2016 Christian Perring

Christian Perring is currently an adjunct professor of philosophy in New York City, and spends a lot of time on subway trains.