Break Away
Jessie on My Mind
-
- $23.99
-
- $23.99
Publisher Description
Winter, teenagers, and dreams of glory come together in this novel about the reaction of a small working-class town when the local hero decides not to join a professional hockey team. Talented Alexandre McKenzie lives on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River, where in summer he rides the logging trails on his quad, and in winter—after school and hockey practice—he likes to head off alone to a bush camp outside town. When he meets and falls in love with an unusual girl, Jessie, who has been plagued by tragedy, his friends and neighbors criticize him for stepping outside the popular crowd. Fighting to hold his head high, Alex takes comfort in his love of nature and his sightings of a magnificent bull moose—and he knows that he does not want a future in sports.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the first book in a trilogy, Hotte, making his English-language debut, offers a window into the mind of 15-year-old Alexandre McKenzie, who lives with his father and aunt in the remote woods of C te-Nord, Canada. Alexandre is wise yet conflicted, caring but reckless. His pertinent observations lead readers through his bleak, intriguing life. "One thing I've known since I was a kid is how it works around here: in less than twelve hours, everybody knows what you were up to the day before; who you were with, what you did, why." He loves hockey, nature, and riding his ATV, but is pressured by his coach and father to make hockey a career. When his vehicle breaks down, Alexandre visits the Pinchaults for help and falls in love with Jessie. But when her drunk father drives Alexandre home and gets in an accident, tensions rise between their families. Nevertheless, Alexandre is determined to win Jessie's heart, even as her brother St phane's disturbing actions lead Jessie to self-destructive behavior. Themes of indigence, mental illness, and nature conservation are richly conveyed in this atmospheric and delicately balanced story. Ages 12 up.
