Where I End and You Begin
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Two sworn enemies suddenly switch bodies in this witty and heartfelt novel of romantic relationships, gender identity, and the joy of being yourself.
Ezra Slevin is an anxious, neurotic insomniac who spends his nights questioning his place in the universe and his days obsessing over Imogen, a nerdy girl with gigantic eyebrows and a heart of gold. For weeks, Ezra has been working up the courage to invite Imogen to prom. The only problem is Imogen's protective best friend, Wynonna Jones. Wynonna has blue hair, jams to '80s rock, and has made a career out of tormenting Ezra for as long as he can remember.
Then, on the night of a total solar eclipse, something strange happens to Ezra and Wynonna, and they wake up in each other's bodies. Not only that, they begin randomly swapping back and forth every day! Ezra soon discovers Wynonna's huge crush on his best friend, Holden, a five-foot-nothing girl magnet with anger management problems. With no end to their curse in sight, Ezra makes Wynonna a proposition: While swapping bodies, he will help her win Holden's heart, but only if she helps him woo Imogen.
Forming an uneasy alliance, Ezra and Wynonna embark on a collision course of mistaken identity, hurt feaelings, embarrassing bodily functions, and a positively byzantine production of Twelfth Night. Ezra wishes he could be more like Wynonna's badass version of Ezra -- but he also realizes he feels more like himself while being Wynonna than he has in a long time.
Wildly entertaining and deeply heartfelt, Where I End and You Begin is a brilliant, unapologetic exploration of what it means to be your best self.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Norton (Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe) incorporates Freaky Friday style body switching in this novel to explore the inner conflicts of two enemies crushing on each other's best friends. On the night of a total eclipse in Carbondale, Ill., socially anxious Ezra intends to ask longtime crush Imogen to prom. Instead, he finds himself trapped inside the body of Imogen's best friend, bold, brassy Wynonna, whose "favorite hobby" is making his life a "living hell." Much to Ezra's relief, the switch is only temporary, but then it keeps happening, and for longer periods of time. While in the girl's skin, Ezra learns of Wynonna's interest in his best friend, Holden, and seeks to soothe her estranged relationship with her father and guardian grandmother. In turn, Wynonna helps bridge the gap between Ezra and his younger sister, who has distanced herself since learning of their parents' extramarital affairs. The frequent, rather abrupt body switches and cluttered plot, which includes a production of Twelfth Night that parallels the teens' experience, prove more distracting than effective. Still, Norton's novel offers thought-provoking ideas about gender, sexuality, and compassion with plenty of comedy along the way. Ages 14 up.
