Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe

Very engaging YA novel with a memorable narrator and numerous interesting secondary characters. I can already see the movie version (although they probably will make Cliff more handsome than he is supposed to be in the book). Suffers a little bit from the John Green syndrome (do teenagers really speak with such articulate wit?) but its well-intentioned messages about kindness and acceptance are enough to overcome the artifice. I'm surprised to say this, as a die-hard romance lover, but the most interesting relationships in the story are the friendships that develop between Cliff and the classmates he formerly hated or kept at a distance, and the changing dynamic among Cliff, his abusive father and his passive mother.

Debut author Preston Norton impressively nails the right balance of humor, drama, comedy and tragedy. I hope he has more stories like this to tell.