Book review: Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

After reading "Wrapped" I went and got "Shift" by the same writer, Jennifer Bradbury. "Shift" is the story of two boys and their bike ride from West Virginia to the Pacific Ocean the summer after high school. Except it's not. It's about friendships and people and public faces and private faces and who can patch their tire's tube the fastest. It's an up close and intimate view of America that only bike riders and walkers generally see.

The writing is brilliant. It has layers which enhance rather than obscure. Some layers may go completely over the head of an average young adult reader, but this doesn't harm the story at all: it's still a great story.

It's not told in chronological order, but looks back at the summer while staying in the present as Chris starts at Georgia Tech as a freshman, the summer now over. The transitions are well written and there's never a question of when or where you are, however, so it's not an issue as it is in some books.

Jennifer Bradbury has written a wonderful book about growing up, about fear and challenge and about being human. Definitely highly recommended. I think this book will stick with me for a long time.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Shift-Jennifer-Bradbury/9781416947325-item.html?ikwid=shift+bradbury&ikwsec=Home