Just in Case (review)

When David Case's little toddler brother, Charlie, almost takes a header out of an upper-story window, fifteen-year-old David is suddenly overwhelmed by the constant possibility of catastrophe. Determined to avoid what he considers his inevitable doom, he transforms himself, changing his name to Justin, finding a new clothing style, and taking up cross-country running, along the way garnering the attention of a stylish young photographer, Agnes, with whom Justin falls in love. He's finally convinced he's outrun Fate, whose threatening voice he hears in his head, by making his home at the airport; when a freak plane crash almost kills him and Agnes, however, he's devastated to realize that he can't be safe from disaster anywhere. Rosoff, author of How I Live Now (BCCB 9/04), here explores a contemporary world of slightly manipulated realism—Fate occasionally interjects his/her own commentary, Justin has an imaginary greyhound visible to several of his friends, Charlie has a deep wisdom that his limited vocabulary unfortunately prevents him from sharing. The fluid, probing narrative is highly readable, and the issues of Fate and the fear of catastrophe are intriguing ones. Unfortunately, the disparate elements don't knit together effectively, and the pacing lags after the plane crash; the characters are often interesting but not emotionally engaging, especially the preternaturally perceptive young children (Charlie and the young sister of a friend of Justin's), who end up an obtrusive device. Norma Howe's Adventures of Blue Avenger (BCCB 3/99) is a more successful novel about the whims of Fate, but readers may appreciate this quirky chronicle of a young man's struggle with doom.