In the Garage

by Alma Fullerton

Truth and rumour, fantasy and reality, love and prejudice. I'm up here, in front of God, the priest, and the congregation listening to

EVERY

SINGLE

AMPLIFIED

BREATH,

of every person in front of me, unable to say a God-damn word about the guy who was my best friend for eight years. All I can do is stand silent, and think about how it all began.

Barbara Jean (BJ) Belanger has always suffered...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0889953716
• ISBN13: 9780889953710
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Red Deer Press
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.7" x 7.1"
• Age Range: 12 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 9

Customer Reviews

A quick yet powerful young adult read

This is a quick yet powerful young adult read. The story is told in alternating perspectives by two 16-year-old best friends. Barbara Jean Belanger, or BJ, doesn't consider herself attractive. She has a port-wine stain on her face, weighs more than she would like, and is decidedly not one of the popular girls. Her mother, now gone, damaged BJ's self-esteem permanently when BJ was very young, and she doesn't trust easily. On the surface, it's not clear why the more attractive and popular Alex Fitzgerald would be BJ's best friend. He's a basketball player, and is also in a band. But Alex defended BJ from some bullies when they were eight, and he was the new kid, and has stuck with her ever since ever since. At least until the insidious whisperings of a pair of more subtle bullies cause BJ, and then Alex, to have doubts about their friendship. The consequences are gut-wrenching. As the story begins, Alex is dead (this is clear in the first chapter), but we don't know how or why he died. BJ, struggling with what to say at his memorial service, reflects back on "how it all began." Her diary-like thoughts are interspersed with Alex's journal entries, which are written in verse. A tragedy of miscommunication and high school cruelty is clear. This is not another one of those stories where the boy-girl best friends fall in love. This story is about friendship, and how important it is for survival. On the positive side, it's clear from the beginning how important BJ is to Alex, even though she isn't pretty or thin or popular. For BJ, Alex is her lifeline, the person she looks up to most. As circumstances and secret doubts pull them apart, Alex laments in his journal: I feel like I've been deserted by my best friend. ... I need to talk to BJ, because she knows all about being different. And she knows about being strong. And I know she can teach me. But right now, she doesn't have time for me and I'm dying inside. Alex has a secret, clear though not explicitly spelled out in his journal entries. And his secret, combined with pressure from his father, and with his growing distance from BJ, is tearing him apart. He writes: And inside, I'm screaming so loud I get headaches. I could talk about this book all day, reflecting on the things it touches upon. How parents, even loving parents, can damage their children. How mean and downright toxic high school kids can be to one another. How hard it is in our society to have any kind of physical deformity. And how important it is to have friends who love you for your inner self. While it deals with this issues, and others, In the Garage never feels like it's trying to get across a particular message. It's a painful but ultimately redemptive story about two friends named BJ and Alex, who have the misfortune to face these issues. I highly recommend this book for high school students. This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on February 5, 2007.

Together and Apart

Barbara Jean hates her birthmark, a portwine stain on her face which her peers and her mother have made fun of ever since she was little. In fact, her mother often put BJ down, then ultimately abandoned her family. Now a teenager, BJ is more self-conscious than ever. She doesn't like how she looks. She doesn't like how much she weights. She doesn't think she'll ever really fit in. She doesn't confide in her father. She only talks to Alex, the boy who has been her best friend since he stood up for her on the playground years ago. When two popular girls, Victoria and Rachel, start acting friendly towards her, BJ can't believe her good luck. She starts hanging out with them more and more. She fails to notice that her best friend Alex is having problems of his own, fighting to keep his band together and secretly struggling to come to terms with his orientation. The beginning of the book is actually the ending, showing a grief-stricken BJ dealing with the aftermath of a horrific event. The story then rewinds, revealing BJ's upbringing, her friendship with Alex, and a betrayal which no one expected. The story moves along very quickly, a great selling point for reluctant readers. In the Garage is told in alterating chapters, with BJ's thoughts written in first-person prose while Alex's thoughts are shared through his poetic journal entries, which should attract readers of both genders. The dual narrative will be appreciated by those who enjoyed Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, while the plot regarding the dark side of the high school social scene will intrigue fans of What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci.

IN THE GARAGE

I found myself hooked from page one. The reader can feel Alex's anguish as he battles for knowing himself. BJ, also deals with painful encounters with others, which started when her mother left her in a car as a child. The writing is fast, intense, and above all, makes you think. I'd highly recommend this book to high school students. If anything, it'll make you think about how sensitive you are to those who have different lifestyles and how much a simple cut can snowball into something alot worse.