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| ★★★★ |
Synopsis: Elle is a loner. She doesn’t need people. Which is a good thing, because she’s on her own: she had to move into her own apartment so her mother’s boyfriend won’t have to deal with her. Then she meets Frank, the guy who lives next door. He’s older and has a girlfriend, but Elle can’t stop thinking about him. Frank isn’t like anyone Elle has ever met. He listens to her. He’s gentle. And Elle is falling for him, hard.
But Frank is different in a way that Elle was never prepared for: he’s transgender. And when Elle learns the truth, her world is turned upside down. Now she’ll have to search inside herself to find not only the true meaning of friendship but her own role in jumpstarting the world.
***
Review: Jumpstart The World is one of only a handful of books I've ever read, which made me think time and time again, 'I can completely relate to this'. The main character, Elle, became entirely a vehicle for me being exposed her situation, in that her every reponse - occasionally intolerant or politically incorrect as they were - were the same as I believe mine would be. I think my favourite thing about this novel is that it takes a girl who is incredibly (literally, it was difficult to believe) unaware of the LGBT community - and portrays her with all the confusion - and occasionally even prejudice - that comes with exposure to a whole new concept or experience. Her reactions were not always okay, but that is an okay thing to depict in a story. It's even a GOOD thing to depict, because it goes to show an important truth about people - that we are capable of more than we've been raised or socially conditioned to believe or know. If someone has a fundamentally good heart and good intentions, like Elle does, walls and boundaries can be broken down.
This novel is brilliantly written - quirky and funny as is seemingly Hyde's style, but it is too short. The characters do not get fleshed out enough - The Bobs are little more than 'short', 'tall' and 'gay', Annabelle disappears for no discernable reason halfway through the story, Elle's mother is little more than alluded to and even Wilbur, who we see a bit more of, feels like he has an entire novel of his own to share. While paying more attention to these characters may have diluted the focus of the novel (which was itself, perfectly articulated), I feel it would have been a worthwhile compromise to share more of these characters. Particularly Wilbur. Can you tell I liked Wilbur?
I of course also loved Frank - who couldn't? - and even Molly. The story was not immensely original (it did feel a little plot-driven at times - the premise of a 15 year old girl being dumped off alone in New York simply does not ring true) and it had to take a twist somewhere, naturally - but it was a better twist than I was expecting. More subtle, more random, more realistic. Of all the things that could have happened, this is the one that'd make you go, 'typical'. I've criticised a few aspects of this book, but I genuinely loved it. It could have been too pointed, but it's a gentle book that speaks to understanding, tolerance, and kindness. It's one I'm going to go back to in the near future, and I would highly recommend it to absolutely everyone.
Rating: 4/5
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