I.
The plot of this book started very eary with Kidd pushing his ''friend'' off a cliff. From there we went back in time and got told the events leading up to how the book started. The story line was a young boy named Kidd, escaping from Horizons which is a therapy camp and also escaping from his dark haunting past. We find out Kidd's dad beat his mom and him. Eventually the mom had enough and killed the dad and herself. She said she saved Kidd and did what she had to do. After escaping from Horizons he goes to work as a maitnance worker in California with a man named Red who was in charge of the camp. During his time at Cardiff which is where the camp is, Kidd learns about himself and that he is cared about and matters in the world. Red helps Kidd find himself and so does Olivia. Olivia is Kidds dream girl and he falls in love with her. Things seem to be turning out good for Kidd after all, and when he finally sees the future and life......Devon comes back. Devon went to Horizons also, and caused Kidd a lot of pain and drama. Devon starts trying to kill himself, and Kidd, and take away Olivia. Kidd does anything in his power to keep Olivia (his fragile being never to be replaced) safe. He will save her. Kidd is telling us the story from solitary confinment where he thinks he is because he killed someone. A twist at the end of the story tells us that Kidd was actually the one that jumped off the cliff. He wakes up in a hospital. He thought he was someone named Devon. Devon was never a real person only a scary figment of Kidd's imagination. Through the story Kidd is fighting with himself in his head and ends up jumping to get rid of Devon. Olivia loved Kidd back and was there waiting for him to wake up at the hospital. I'll never know if they end up together, or if it's just when they pass by on the street they will turn to look back at each other and have that feeling that something was there, that feeling of your heart burning, that feeling of love.
II.
The character being analyzed and described is Kidd. Kidd is a child with many problems. He has had a terrible childhood and has been scarred forever from what happened. Through the story we see Kidd struggling to become a normal person with a future and people that care about him. Kidd has grown up with no one and believes no one cares about him, he is too poor, to alone, to worthless. Then the mood changes and Kidd meets Red and Olivia who save him. They show him he is special and adored and valued. There is hope and his character changes...but people never truely change and Devon the evil person in his brain comes back. Kidd has a death drive and does stupid things and becomes depressed and the way he used to be at Horizons. To take care of that he jumps from a cliff and tries to kill himself. The physical appearence of Kidd is that he is very attractive. He has dark skin and hair and is Mexican looking. The beauty from the outside is on the inside it took searching to navigate away from his scar. It took Red and Olivia to save Kidd but most of all it took the true meaning of love.
III.
Themes were in almost every sentence of the book and related to life situations. During the book Kidd wrote a philosophy of life book. Each thing in it was something everyone can relate to. One was how a bad thing can turn good, which relates to everything happens for a reason and that bad things happen but we have nothing else to to do but move forward. The biggest theme relates to the title in which the message was that life happens in the blink of an eye and in 2 seconds it could be over, your done, life gone. Live by being awake and not in auto pilot going through the motions. Another theme was about love and how everyone needs it and it is the life boat from drowning. It can save people and for everyone to live love must be experienced. The author also drifted to the topic of rich and poor people and the way lives can differ based on money.
IV.
I loved the story and was deeply touched by it. I did have tears in my eyes pretty much the entire time. The story was so sad because of all the devastations each character faced but at the same time refreshing because each one was struggling to get through and they all saved each other. The story reminded me of all the events in my life and I realized how lucky I am to have a family like mine. The themes in the story were some that I could use through my whole life. I liked the ending of the book because it tied all the ends together and some questions were answered but not all of them. This book was one that your still thinking about even when there are no more pages to read. It ended with Kidd knowing what love was even if he didn't end up the girl he got the experience and warmness nothing could replace. There were so many great moments in the book I had to read over and over but one I still cant get out of my mind.
Olivia always wore a ski cap to cover a place on her cheeck where she had skin disease. She never showed anyone it, but one day she took Kidd to the mountains and showed him. He thought she was beautiful with or withour her skin problems. He said he loved Olivia and knew he did because he touched her skin, the place where Olivia hurt most and felt sad about. Then she sad it could get removed by a lasar and her real life could begin. Kidd thought to himself that Olivia could start a real life and ger her scar removed but he could never ger his scar removed his was on the inside and no lasar would ever be able to reach there. That line just hurt me and touched me and made me feel so bad for Kidd and other children with scars like his. Everyone deserves to be saved.
Wow taanks man!
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