Saint Iggy

By K.L. Going

Emotional book.

Just about a boy who wants to do the right thing, but can't seem to.

It'd make quite the movie.

Nah, they'd probably screw it up somehow.

They always do.

From the author's website.
"Iggy seemed to me a great anti-hero type of character. I was tired of reading so many YA novels where the main character is 'artsy' and 'quiet and mousy', and they 'escape into books' and learn about the world through 'making an awesome video or photography project'. In so many ways, authors create and idealize themselves in character form, but so many kids are not like that. Iggy had a camera once, but he stole it, and then he broke it. He's not really talented at anything and he hates the kid at school who writes all the cool poems. But he does see the world in a way no one else can.

"I also wanted to explore the ambiguity of life. There's almost nothing black or white in this book. Always shades of gray. Iggy makes the 'wrong' choices for the 'right' reasons and the 'right' choices for the 'wrong' reasons."

Actually, the book kind of reminds me of The Outsiders.
Except that the Outsiders was... too fantastic.
I can't believe that anyone thinks that way.
The world doesn't work that way.