Point of View

Growing up in Chartres, teen Lucas has been addicted to online porn for years. Despite blatant warning signs that he is in trouble (falling grades, antisocial behavior), he manages to keep the truth hidden from everyone until his computer crashes. While his father’s friend is making repairs, Lucas’s browsing history is revealed, and his stunned parents are at a loss about what to do. In his first YA novel to be translated into English, French writer Bard tackles a provocative subject with objectivity and unabashed honesty. His reporterlike narrative stays focused on facts, allowing readers to form their own judgments about characters and their decisions. Relevant to adults as well as adolescents, the book examines how Lucas’s curiosity about sex evolves into an obsession, how his image of women becomes warped, and how his addiction pays a toll on his parents’ marriage. After he enters a specialized center for teens, Lucas’s recovery is a slow, arduous process, but the benefits of intense therapy are clear as he experiences his first healthy relationship with a female peer. The story’s journalistic quality may be off-putting to some, but Bard’s exposure of a universal, rarely discussed issue is commendable. Ages 14–up. [em](Dec.) [/em]