“I want you to understand my brother... As far as that goes, I’d like to understand him myself.” Eighteen-year-old Robert’s younger brother, seventeen-year-old Xan, seems to be spiraling into a frightening abyss. Xan is a social outsider and extremely sensitive, and his awakening to social and political injustice results in ever-growing anger and rash actions as he gets drawn into a group of radical activists. Meanwhile, the two boys live with their mom in a household that is financially on the edge, and a loan collector of dubious practices is exerting more and more pressure through harassing phone calls and other means. Robert attends the community college and works part-time, while Xan has dropped out of high school and can’t hold a job. Robert, who has never had trouble fitting in socially, often gives Xan a hard time but doesn’t always know when to stop. Yet he struggles with how to help Xan, and how to help his family, even as he is angry with his mother and brother for their choices and worries about how far Xan will go. The interpersonal family dynamics are achingly real in Chris Lynch’s taut and ultimately hopeful story punctuated by occasional moments of humor and populated with characters that could have walked out of the real world and onto the page. (Age 13 and older)

Delve into the mind of a teen whose journey of self-discovery leads to the unthinkable in this tense and terse novel from award-wining author Chris Lynch.

Alexander, who wants to be called Xan, is a misfit. He has never fit in—not in academics, sports, or social life. He’s an awkward loner who hasn’t been able to find his place in the world.
     Robert is Xan’s half-brother, and unlike Xan, Robert seems to have his life together. At eighteen, he’s enrolled in community college with a decent job and a great girlfriend. Robert often teases his brother, but he’s also his biggest supporter. No matter what, he’s got Xan’s back.
     When Robert starts to suspect that Xan is traveling down a dangerous path, he may be the only one who can save Xan from self-destructing—before it’s too late. But can Robert save himself?
     This edgy exploration of what goes on in the mind of someone pushed to the brink examines the seeds of extremism that exist in everyone—and is sure to captivate readers of all kinds.