cover image Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You

Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You

Todd Hasak-Lowy. Simon Pulse, $17.99 (656p) ISBN 978-1-4424-9573-9

Darren's father shows up before school one morning and informs Darren that he's gay. This sends 15-year-old Darren into a tailspin of wondering about his parents' former marriage, and what this means for him and his older brother, Nate. With Nate's approval, Darren leaves school to visit his brother at the University of Michigan%E2%80%94much to his parents' chagrin. When Zooey, an intense girl from school, unexpectedly tags along with him, Darren fumbles his way into a romance and is reassured about his own sexuality (since his father's confession, he has wondered if he's gay, too). Hasak-Lowy (33 Minutes) presents Darren's ruminations and experiences entirely via a series of numbered lists written in a deadpan third-person voice (a hookup scene is entitled "6 Things They Do," with entries that include Kiss, Breathe, Finish, and Pass Out). As Darren struggles to gain some form of control over events in his life and negotiate his preconceptions about homosexuality, Hasak-Lowy maintains a sweet, acerbically funny, and often painfully honest tone. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Apr.)