Book Description
Jackson is a young man with an appetite for many things, including
words. But faced with parents on the brink of breakup, a love interest
going sour, and a refrigerator that lacks anything edible, he finds it
hard to come up with the right words to solve his problems.
Just when the world seems most dismal, however, it is words - the
written kind - that come to his rescue. Jackson discovers he has the
bizarre ability to project himself physically into books that he reads. It
takes a horrifying and hilarious series of misadventures to lead him
back home to a real meal once again.
Excerpt
His mother let him borrow the car without and preconditions other than the ones he had agreed to before they let him have his licence - no drinking, no drugs, no smoking, no speeding, no more passengers than the number of seatbelts, no unbecoming behaviour. At times she also threw in no eating of anything that might stain or leave a smell, but tonight she was being liberal.
He drove around for a while, slowing down as he went by Masterpizza. Then he tore off down the strip of neon hamburgers and revolving chicken buckets, past other places with more subdued signs but better ads on TV. Right to the end and in a full circle through the parking lots of Greenacres Mall, and then back up the strip again. It was just what he needed - reassurance that there was stability in the world, that if all else failed him the straightforward, everyday, all-out world of fast food and shopping malls would always be there, eager to make him happy. He smiled to himself just like people did in mouthwash commercials.
There was only one thing missing. A girl beside him in the car.
And there was only one way to remedy that situation. He stopped by a phone booth and dialled Sara's number. He did it with all the confidence in the world. There was no lingering doubt, no last-minute regret that the thrill of the chase was over.
"Hello?"
"Hi. It's Jackson." There was a distinct note of victory in his voice.
"Oh. Hi." Did he detect an attempt to fake surprise?
He laughed aloud. It was a heart, playful laugh. "Can't we get together tonight? I'm dying to see you."
So bold, yet so truthful. He felt as through it was the beginning of a new era in his relationships with the opposite sex.
"We should. There's something I have to tell you."
God, was he ready for this - his most fervent dreams coming true? He braced himself with one hand against the side of the telephone booth. He was weak with fulfilment.
"I have a car," he said, his head spinning.
"I'll be waiting for you."
They each said a hesitant good-bye and Jackson let the receiver slip through his hand, back to its place.
He let loose with a yell, full of all the good things about being young, and male, and in love.
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