Harcourt; 133 pages; realistic fiction; ages 12 and up; ISBN: 0-15-205208-9.
In
Very Far Away From Anywhere Else, popular sci-fi author Ursula K. Le Guin gives voice to what could be one of her typical readers. Owen, a 17-year-old self-described "bright little jerk," finds that being alone and pursuing his passions of science and imagined worlds good enough—until he met Natalie. In the course of their friendship Owen lives out the inner turmoil of trying to be what others want him to be—or at least what he
thinks they want—and what he wants for himself. His self-image illustrates the fragile egotism required in adolescence, and the ambivalence of fear and desire play out in the course of Owen and Natalie's relationship, as she is as much a source of affection as she is one of envy.
Le Guin's brief and searing 1976 novel suffers only slightly in the present day from descriptive clangers: teens are no longer "neat" nor "with it." Yet the anxiety and urgency of Owen seeking to "finally be realistic about myself" resonates clearly. Le Guin describes a series of events that balance verity and tragedy in careful prose that allows adult and teen readers to recognize their own internal scars and bruises.
If you're interested in reading some of Le Guin's science fiction, check out her "Earthsea Cycle."
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