The Tragedy Paper

     Right off the bat, I would not normally pick up this book. The title says it all- tragedy. I'm a sucker for a happy ending. But it got such great reviews and my book club picked it so off I went to read it two days ago. So glad I did. This is the story of Tim, an albino teenager, who goes off to boarding school to finish his senior year. On the way his flight is canceled and he meets Vanessa, who shares the only hotel room in the city with him. Tim falls hard for her and what do you know, she goes to the same school, Irving. Vanessa, of course, has a boyfriend and Tim has zero self esteem. Yet it seems to Tim that Vanessa likes him. The school year goes along, leading up to the Game- a senior outing or event planned in secret. Tim is roped into helping Vanessa's boyfriend plan it. Along the way, Tim's eyesight starts to fail and he is reluctant to get help. He is in a spiral of longing for Vanessa and wondering why or if she has any feelings for him. He is in an uneasy friendship with Patrick- the boyfriend and can't seem to get a handle on the senior paper everyone must do The Tragedy Paper. As the outing gets closer, events spiral into a tragedy of its own.
     The story is told in Tim's voice through a set of CD's he leaves for Duncan, the Junior who feels responsible for the tragedy at the outing. He is dealing with his own guilt over the events of the year before. As he is responsible for the outing this year, he must reconcile his own role and make himself listen to Tim's CDs even though he knows what happens. Duncan takes the theme of the tragedy paper to heart and finds himself questioning all he does.
     This is a great book. There is no cookie cutter ending, although the last lines of the book are an homage to The Outsiders, which made me love this book even more. I want to find Tim and tell him to cut himself a break. I want to find Duncan and give him a hug. And I want to tell Vanessa to follow her heart, not what society deems appropriate. Even the teachers in this book are wonderful, not painted as foolish non-entities. So as I step out of the pages of this novel, I have only two things on my mind, what I'm reading next and how it will compare to this one. Happy reading my friends- go forth and spread beauty and light!