The Inexplicable Logic of My Life

Senior year of high school is off to tough start for Sal, the protagonist in Sáenz’s latest YA novel. His beloved grandmother, Mima, is dying of cancer, and he’s been getting into fights at school. To top it off, his father gives him an unopened letter from his late biological mother, which unleashes other repressed emotions. Sáenz spins a unique coming-of-age tale that includes laughs and heartache, all of which Daymond communicates with a youthful and emotive voice that captures Sal’s somber, sweet outlook. There are few frills to Daymond’s reading; instead he opts for a more realistic rendering of this first-person narrative, adding only slight differentiation in his voice when other characters speak. It’s a subtle but powerful performance. Ages 12–up. A Clarion hardcover. (Mar.)