|
about I Can't Tell You
After he opens his big mouth in a big fight with his best friend,
Jake concludes that talking = trouble. He decides that communicating
through writing is safer. Through notes scribbled on napkins and
in notebooks, on upside-down calculators, and on walls with pudding-covered
fingers, Jake explores new ways to express himself. But there
are also the notes he never sends. To his flirty friend. Who is
just a friend. But could be more than a friend. But isn't -- or
is she? Hillary Frank's inventive style envelopes her readers
in a new dimension of storytelling. Jake + Xandra = a story about
what it means to be "just friends." All without saying a word.
excerpt from I Can't Tell You
Fine, so I'm no good @ confrontations. But. I think
most ppl aren't good @ that. It's like yr trying to tell someone
yr feelings in some rational way. But feelings don't equal rational.
Like:
1 + 2 = sad
or
my fist + your arm
= a bruise
= the only safe way I knew of getting physically close to you
+ the licking + punching + lifting upside-down + throwing
of pudding
Right.
praise for I Can't Tell You
"Frank once again shows her dexterity in crafting entirely
believable characters in the crucible of freshman dorm life. ...
Jake is an inveterate punster and wordsmith, and his notes provide
clever repartee that would be difficult to replicate in everyday
speech, which is exactly the point he wants to make -- writing
allows you to think out what you are going to say, providing your
partner is patient enough. ... The insight he gains from his self-imposed
silence is satisfying. ... The insights readers will gain, however,
are perhaps deeper, as Frank manages to convey a credible boy's-eye
view on matters of the heart."
–The Bulletin
"Frank's experiment is fascinating."
–Michael Cart, Booklist
"A story both clever and heartfelt."
–Publishers Weekly
"The novel's engaging jumble of correspondence
amounts to a study of vulnerability, tentatively concluding that,
when it comes to romance, playing it safe can be a risky approach."
–Horn Book Magazine
|
