Riding Invisible
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Fifteen-year-old Yancy runs away from home on the night his brother viciously attacks his horse, Shy. With just a backpack, a flashlight, his horse, and a journal, Yancy takes to the California desert on a journey of self-discovery. There he will learn the hardships of being homeless, experience his first kiss, and meet a Mexican laborer, Tavo, who has a thing or two to teach him about life and love. Debut novelist Sandra Alonzo creates an honest portrait of a family dealing with mental disease.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Written in diary form with poems and comic book style drawings scattered throughout, Alonzo s (Gallop-O-Gallop) first novel presents 15-year-old Yancy Aparicio s account of life on the road with his cherished horse, Shy. After Yancy s mentally troubled older brother attacks Shy, Yancy runs away, heading out into the California desert and filling his journal with his observations, interactions, and reflections. His nearly three-week journey might seem implausible to some, but there s a timeless, noble quality to Yancy s wanderings. His narrative has the scattered, frustrated tone of a teenager desperate to vent and who is slowly realizing what he s gotten himself into ( A few months ago, Mom and I watched an old black-and-white Western movie. It was so lame with this cowboy on the run from the law, but shit, that guy was prepared! I mean he wasn t eating pretzels for dinner ). While his voice can feel uneven, vacillating between polished thoughts and rougher play-by-plays of events as they happen, Yancy s friendship with a Mexican ranch worker and his family s genuine desperation give the book emotional resonance. Ages 12 up.
