Torn from Normal [Kindle Edition]

 

 

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The book starts out with Danny, who is overcome with immense sadness. His best friend, Andy, committed suicide. He sets out to tell that story, and begins to write, sending the reader off into the world of Andy Riley.

Andy Riley is a regular teenager. He has stress, friends, and a lot going on his life. So when he runs away from home, things are thrown out of proportion. He lives with his Aunt Lily, a completely disgusting personality who yells at him and amuses herself by sending her dog, Fido, out to torture him. She's couch bound and abusive, and he finds solace in leaving her behind.

While travelling as far away as he can, Andy thinks back to his best friend and his father, Marvin. They're like family to him. And he thinks back to how his entire life came about. His father, a trucker, has a heart attack and suddenly dies, leaving the family under a cover of depression. Andy's life starts out hard, and it doesn't get much better.

Bartloff gives us a lot of characters to work with, each interesting and compelling in their own sense. Andy's a difficult protagonist to work with - a thinker who loves to hop around from one place to another. Danny is our other big player; a very good friend to Andy, and intent on having him as a foster brother. The plot is much the same; filled with a veil of tragedy and sadness framed by the opening passage about Andy's eventual suicide.

While the premise of the book is very interesting, I myself could not get into it like I thought I would. The characters are fine enough, but they never really feel real, even Andy. His constant stream of tragedies felt so unheard of and humorless, that it felt too unreal. Not to mention, the book moves a lot in the first 50 pages alone, constantly streaming the readers new information about Andy's past. It's a lot to work with, and makes you wonder why the pacing is so fast for a subject that's meant to be examined.

Editing issues were also a big slowdown, with many areas needing a good comma or two in them. It wouldn't have been much of an issue, but the shear amount of grammatical editing that felt left out really made the experience bitter. Another minor quip was that the back cover left no suspense to the story. It felt as though I was building up to absolutely no surprises.

Despite these issues, Bartloff has gleams of great writing within the book. As many times as I cringed at a lack-of-comma, I also smiled at the placement of a thought-provoking metaphor or description. The description was one of the book's strongest aspects, working well with the protagonist's constant thoughtfulness, based on his situation. Some descriptions, however, tried to retain the voice of a teenager, and the working of the narrative made said descriptions seem more awkward than needed.

Overall, TORN FROM NORMAL was an interesting and thoughtful read that dealt with many hardened issues among teenagers today. Unfortunately, clunky grammar and some bad plot dealings bogged it down from being a really powerful read, despite some fairly interesting characters and descriptions. The subject of suicide still holds strong, and the message of treating people right will always be welcomed, though hopefully Barloff's next book will be a bit more polished.

Reviewed by: John Jacobson, aka "R.J. Jacobs"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Tender, Well Written Story, July 8, 2010
By Ryan Field "Ryan Field Romance Writer" (New Hope, PA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Torn from Normal (Paperback)
Torn from Normal is one of those books you don't see very often. It tugs at the heart and makes you stop and think about the important things in life. It's well written and moves along at a nice pace. And when you're finished, the characters remain with you for a long time.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies, June 2, 2010
By Lukas Schmidt - See all my reviews
This review is from: Torn from Normal (Paperback)
After reading Mr. Bartloff's 'Torn From Normal' I began to think about how so many writers of youth novels cater to the whim of their readers by creating a fantasy world where everything is okay. Mr. Bartloff however, refuses. Harkening back to my days as a teenager, I commend 'Torn From Normal' for its honesty. The Disney Channel is filled with programs where adolescents live wonderful lives and deal with trivial matters day in and day out. But making young people think that there will be no real, demoralizing struggles throughout there lives can have detrimental effects.

Andy, the protagonist in 'Torn From Normal', is never given the luxuries of life he so very much deserves. Yes, he deserves to be happy. He is a good kid with a kind heart and Mr. Bartloff conveys this very well. But just like in the real world, a world some don't like to explore, Andy finds himself trying to cope with painful experiences and difficult choices. His greatest fault is that he believes no one can understand his pain and he chooses to bottle it up inside. Andy is no different than the shy boy who sits in the back of the classroom who everyone ignores because they believe he wants to be.

It is my opinion that the overall message of the book is a positive one despite its harsh realities. There are so many characters throughout the book that truly care for Andy. I guess the point of this review and the point the book is trying to make is that no matter what you are going through in your life, you cannot assume that others don't understand. There is always someone, be it a friend, family member or a stranger on the other end of a helping hotline, that will listen.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Heartfelt Story Worth Reading., March 9, 2010
By Nicole Auger (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
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This review is from: Torn from Normal (Paperback)
A double tragedy causes a young man's life to spiral out of control. His only wish is to get rid of the pain by putting it behind him. Things begin to turn around for him when he meets Marvin and his son Danny under interesting circumstances. Going from complete strangers to a small family after a short period of time, Andy begins to rebuild his life with a new family who cares about him. Bowling, learning how to drive, and having a family give Andy back that spark that he was missing for so long. As things are looking up, Andy's life goes from happy go lucky to sad again.

Since Marvin and Danny are going away for vacation, Andy is sent to live with his Aunt Lily in Baltimore until he is of age. Though broken-hearted, Andy promised to comply with Marvin's request and boarded the train home. Things were not as they cracked up to be at his aunt's house. He wasn't her nephew, but a nuisance that brought in money every month from the government. Fed up with everything, Andy leaves his aunt's in search of his life. After taking many means of transportation, he returns to a familiar place...his home. To his dismay, a family has moved in and he watches the happy family interact with one another. With nowhere else to go...Andy returns to another familiar place.

On the other side of the globe, Marvin and his son Danny are having lots of fun with family on their vacation. Danny starts to feel that something is terribly wrong where Andy is, but he passed it off with more positive thoughts. What he didn't know was that he was right. Danny tries to get in touch with Andy to have his worst fears confirmed. Not knowing where Andy was, Marvin and Danny return home and start a drastic search. They hope and pray that Andy is okay, but once they find him...

Torn from Normal is a sad tale that goes through the ups and downs of Andy Riley. Thrown into a world he hardly knew after the death of his parents (though five years apart) is something many of us have gone through. Martin Bartloff has put together a story with depth and heart that could bring tears to a reader's eyes instantly. His use of imagery and language conveyed the story of this poor boy who didn't deserve the many horrible things that happened to him. I lost my mother 4 years ago to cancer and I never thought that I would be able to relate to a character before. I knew the feeling of fighting the pain of losing a loved one, and sadly it overpowered Andy at the end. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who has or hasn't lost a parent at a young age. Pain is still the same no matter what age, but to have someone there to share it with makes it much easier.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Bartloff Knows Kids, February 5, 2010
By Marian Allen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Torn from Normal (Paperback)
TORN FROM NORMAL is the story of a young man whose life disintegrates through no fault of his own, and the story of another young man who could easily be in the same position, if circumstances were slightly different. Bartloff captures perfectly what it feels like to be on the edge of adulthood, how quickly and wildly a young person can veer from one maturity level to another, one emotion to another, one view of a situation to another. He puts his finger surely on the wrenching psychological position of feeling powerless and guilty in the same situation. No, it doesn't make sense to feel incapable of doing anything AND to feel like you've caused the events that are sweeping your life away, but it's a real sensation. Bartloff makes the reader not only understand it, but share it.

Andy, the boy whose story the book tells, suffers most from this bind. Although he's never diagnosed, it's pretty clear he's dropped into clinical depression. Bartloff was wise not to raise this diagnosis, since most people who haven't suffered from it don't understand how someone can be clinically depressed and still laugh and tell jokes and show enthusiasm about things.

I recommend this book for young people and adults who want to understand them.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Torn from the Heart Strings, December 15, 2009
By Ophelia Julien "random reader" (Glen Ellyn, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Torn from Normal (Kindle Edition)
There aren't many guys out there writing YA books, and those that do tend to favor humorous stories. Martin Bartloff isn't one of those guys. Torn From Normal is a book that shows how bleak the world can look to a young boy with no resources, and that resonates with the tragedy of what might have been. While not exactly a light read, it's a good reminder that childhood is not necessarily idyllic, and not everyone has their best times during youth. You may need a box of tissues close by, but it's worth the read.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 8, 2010
By TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Torn from Normal (Paperback)
The book starts out with Danny, who is overcome with immense sadness. His best friend, Andy, committed suicide. He sets out to tell that story, and begins to write, sending the reader off into the world of Andy Riley.

Andy Riley is a regular teenager. He has stress, friends, and a lot going on his life. So when he runs away from home, things are thrown out of proportion. He lives with his Aunt Lily, a completely disgusting personality who yells at him and amuses herself by sending her dog, Fido, out to torture him. She's couch bound and abusive, and he finds solace in leaving her behind.

While travelling as far away as he can, Andy thinks back to his best friend and his father, Marvin. They're like family to him. And he thinks back to how his entire life came about. His father, a trucker, has a heart attack and suddenly dies, leaving the family under a cover of depression. Andy's life starts out hard, and it doesn't get much better.

Bartloff gives us a lot of characters to work with, each interesting and compelling in their own sense. Andy's a difficult protagonist to work with - a thinker who loves to hop around from one place to another... Lesen Sie weiter... ›

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