ALL ALONE

In this YA novel, a 10th grader with divorced, dysfunctional parents strains to cope at home and in school.

Anger, despair, and loneliness overwhelm 15-year-old Elgin Hobbs, the narrator of this tale by a former educator and high school principal. Neither of Elgin’s divorced parents earns a lot of money, but “there’s always enough” for his mom to drink and his father to gamble. “Everything else comes last,” Elgin says. That includes the 10th grader himself. Elgin isn’t a priority for his remarried father, and every day he bears the physical and emotional burden of an alcoholic mother who is loving, but often too drunk to parent her son. The teen’s perspective on his mother’s attempts to overcome the acute alcoholism affecting her health adds another layer of serious concern. (Elgin’s observations of his mother’s repeated failure to stay sober are heart-wrenching; he views his father’s lack of involvement in his life and invariably late child support payments with sad cynicism.) The teen doesn’t see how his guidance counselor’s advice “to let the bad stuff go” and not let it “bring you down” will help. The words take on more weight when he learns that his history teacher had to let go of “bad stuff” in his own adolescent home life. Elgin is affected, too, by the autobiography of an injured Army veteran, and by a helpful study tip from a science teacher. (Thompson, whose empathy for his teen subject rings true, makes it clear that even a few words of support from responsible adults can go a long way.) In this touching and ultimately inspiring tale, Elgin’s subsequent small successes in his classes don’t improve his home situation but do boost his self-confidence. His growing determination to make school a priority, despite his unhappy home situation, and the author’s credible avoidance of an unrealistic, happily-ever-after ending demonstrate that there is real hope that the teen has the strength of purpose to work toward a future of possibility and stability. This absorbing story is part of Thompson’s Finding Forward series of 13 YA novels about teens facing difficult personal situations and discovering positive ways to cope.  

An engrossing and moving tale about a troubled teen’s relatable struggle toward a hopeful future.