Sunday, January 24, 2010

BOY TOY by Barry Lyga - REVIEW

Powerful doesn't begin to describe BOY TOY by Barry Lyga. It is the story of Josh, a young man that was involved in an inappropriate relationship with his teacher five years ago. Barry Lyga does an amazing job showing the impact this event has on Josh's life. Relationships with his parents, kids at school, and teachers are changed forever.

There is one relationship that hasn't changed much since the incident. Zik is Josh's best friend and he has stood by him through everything. He doesn't push Josh for information about what happened with the teacher and stands up for him when others give him a hard time.

The area of his life that was most damaged by the relationship with Eve, the teacher from the relationship, was his ability to deal with girls his own age. It seems that every time he gets in a situation with a girl where closeness is involved, he thinks about Eve's likes and needs and transfers those into the current situation. He can't feel comfortable with girls because Eve is always in the back of his mind.

Things really heat up when Eve is released from prison after serving a 5 year sentence. With the story hitting the news again, the situation is on everyone's mind which causes stress for Josh. He feels the need to talk to Eve to answer some of his own questions while at the same time he is attempting to reconnect with Rachel - a girl he thought he lost when the relationship between Josh and Eve was revealed.

BOY TOY is amazing. It really shines some light on a situation that doesn't get as much thought as it should. After talking to several men I know, their first response is, "Where were teachers like that when I was in school," but ask them about a young girl being in an inappropriate relationship with a male teacher and the situation is totally different. There is a double standard. BOY TOY gives us a good look at the issues young men have to deal with after a relationship of this nature.



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