Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe by Preston Norton
Title: Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe
Author: Preston Norton
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Release Date: June 5, 2018
Genre: Young Adult
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis:
Cliff Hubbard is a huge loser. Literally. His nickname at Happy Valley High School is Neanderthal because he's so enormous-6'6" and 250 pounds to be exact. He has nobody at school, and life in his trailer-park home has gone from bad to worse ever since his older brother's suicide.
There's no one Cliff hates more than the nauseatingly cool quarterback, Aaron Zimmerman. Then Aaron returns to school after a near-death experience with a bizarre claim: while he was unconscious he saw God, who gave him a list of things to do to make Happy Valley High suck less. And God said there's only one person who can help: Neanderthal.
To his own surprise, Cliff says he's in. As he and Aaron make their way through the List, which involves a vindictive English teacher, a mysterious computer hacker, a decidedly unchristian cult of Jesus Teens, the local drug dealers, and the meanest bully at HVHS, Cliff feels like he's part of something for the first time since losing his brother. But fixing a broken school isn't as simple as it seems, and just when Cliff thinks they've completed the List, he realizes their mission hits closer to home than he ever imagined.
Review:
From the very beginning of story, I was hooked. The main character, Cliff, has a unique voice and a witty personality. Even though Cliff's life isn't the best, he still manages to bring light into the darker situations through his humor, which keeps the story lighthearted and fun. Readers who enjoy John Green's works will enjoy Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe.
However, there were some weaker points in Norton's storytelling. After about the first fifty pages into the book, the plot seemed to stray. The story didn't read smoothly like the beginning because the scenes started to jump around. Many of the chapters appeared to be cut off mid-scene as well. It was as if the story jumped from mountain peak to mountain peak, forgetting about the valleys that build up to the next scene so that the events make sense and are believable. This jumping around made many moments in the book seem rushed, which weakened the character development and made the characters' motivations and intentions not add up at times. If more time was taken to build up to the major turning points and expand on the characters, I would have given this story a 5-star rating.
Despite these flaws, I enjoyed the story from start to finish. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of Norton's books.
*I received an eARC through NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.