Sleeping Angel by Greg Herren
An interesting Young Adult mystery / thriller, not specifically “gay” but with a plot that turns around the important issue of teenagers and bullying, and the drama it could generate. Eric Matthews, the main character is not gay, but he is investigating on the death of another teenager, Sean Brody, who was. That is the reason why this novel is perfect for every teenager, gay or not, and it can even teach something about acceptance and avoiding living with regrets it would impossible to make right.
Eric, Sean and Chris were best friends until high school; that was the time Sean came out to Eric and Chris and Chris convinced Eric to ban Sean from their lives. At the beginning I wanted to believe the evil kid was Chris, and that Eric was trying to make it right, but that is not the truth. Eric was really mean with Sean, and doesn’t matter if he was a good kid, if he was a good student, good son and that he really didn’t believe he was doing something wrong making fun of Sean, Eric didn’t realize how hurt he could do, and how someone less strong than Sean could have reacted to that cruel teasing. Not knowing the dangerousness of your actions doesn’t make you less guilty, ignorance makes you as guilty as if you was doing it with purpose.
I think the main point of this novel is that Sean is dead, and doesn’t matter what Eric can or will do, Sean will not come back and Eric will always live with the regret that he could do something, but he didn’t, at least not until it was too late to save Sean.
The reader knows Eric didn’t kill Sean, and he will learn the true at the same pace of Eric, clue by clue while Eric is regaining his memory after the accident that caused his amnesia. With the accident Eric lost his memory but gained something else, a special gift that is helping him see things through a different perspective, helping him understand what is good and bad, and above all, who is good and bad. The gift can be something medicine can explain, or can be a miracle, but the author decided to played it down, to atone as much as possible its strangeness, so that, it is useful to the plot, but doesn’t distract the reader too much from the main point. And the main point is not who killed Sean, but more if Sean’s death can change Eric, if he can be better, and if he can do something useful of his life, in the memory of Sean but also for his own good.
Amazon: Sleeping Angel
Amazon Kindle: Sleeping Angel
Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (March 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 160282214X
ISBN-13: 978-1602822146
Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle