LitPick Review
Possible Happiness by David Ebenbach is a coming-of-age novel about discovering your true self and stepping out of your comfort zone. Jacob is a young high schooler who makes money by giving kids pony rides in the children's zoo. In school, he is barely noticeable, both to his classmates and even his friends who ride the subway home with him. Jacob's life had been a quiet one until one day when he cracked a joke in class. Eric, his classmate who heard the joke, recognized him on his way home and invited him to a party at his house. Eric also gave him the privilege to invite his friends and others. Going out to a party was one thing Jacob had never done, and he felt scared and assumed some embarrassing moments would happen. When the day arrived, his mother persuaded him to attend the party and told him to be back at an agreed time. At the party, he met most people from his school, including those he knew and those he did not know. Eric introduced him to most people, and he began to feel relieved at some point. After the party, things became different and for the first time Jacob's life changed. How did his life change? Was it in a good way?
Opinion:
I love everything about this book, and I will gladly give reasons why it appeals to me. First, the book directs our attention to the quiet life of Jacob. He was the type that hardly spends time outside his home due to his shyness and reserved nature. He was not antisocial since he usually hung out with Leron and his friends, but expanding out of this little group was something he could not try; instead, he preferred staying at home during the weekend. The life of Jacob is something most teenagers can relate to as they are faced with the thought of being in their world where friends are not needed. Second, the book explains various relationships, ranging from family to friendship. Jacob's family, for instance, is not the type he wished for. His parents are divorced with his mother taking care of him and his father who he interacts with on phone calls. He also has his sister who has been away in college and visits once in a while. Once, Jacob felt it was nice that Eric had his whole family around him, while he had his single mother at the moment. Apart from family relationships, I enjoyed the friendship that the characters built. After the party Eric invited Jacob to, the boys got acquainted with a group of girls mainly because a particular girl in the group was stunning, and they formed a group and interacted with other groups by naming their group “The Pack”. Well, they ended up dating one another in the group. Lastly, the plot is something that interests me in the book. It relates to the life of a teenager and tells the story realistically. The characters are well described and the role they played made it more interesting. I came to love Jacob, and I saw him as a funny young boy who needed to explore and find his true self.
