by Preston Norton
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: June 5, 2018From the moment I read the unforgettable opening lines of Preston Norton’s debut, I knew NEANDERTHAL OPENS THE DOOR TO THE UNIVERSE was a book unlike any other.
Cliff Hubbard’s nickname, “Neanderthal,” pretty much sums up the way his fellow students at Happy Valley High School see him: huge (he’s 6 and a half feet and 250 pounds) and vaguely subhuman (he’s decidedly unpopular and this is high school, after all). Then Aaron Zimmerman, a football player and bully, has a spiritual experience after nearly dying in a car wreck. When he returns to school he claims God has given him a list of things to do to make Happy Valley a better place. It involves sexy drug dealers, computer hacking, the GSA club, Cliff’s older brother’s suicide…and Cliff himself.
The plot is just as wacky as it sounds, and Norton’s original, irreverent voice complements it perfectly. He weaves together expected YA elements—romance, angst, commentary on the heinous world of high school—with sharp, witty, John Green-esque dialogue. NEANDERTHAL OPENS THE DOOR TO THE UNIVERSE is hilarious, meaningful, and touching.
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