In English author Gavin Extence’s debut novel, The Universe Versus Alex Woods, the titular teenage protagonist embarks on a geeky and surreal journey after forging an unlikely friendship with a marijuana-addled Vietnam veteran. Many critics have compared the book to the works of Kurt Vonnegut and Mark Haddon. The Story: Alex Woods knows that he hasn't had the most conventional start in life. He knows that growing up with a clairvoyant single mother won't endear him to the local bullies. He also knows that even the most improbable events can happen - he's got the scars to prove it. What he doesn't know yet is that when he meets ill-tempered, reclusive widower Mr Peterson, he'll make an unlikely friend. Someone who tells him that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make the best possible choices. As a result of the meteorite injury, Woods becomes epileptic, given to suffering seizures. He also has a large scar on his head. Around the neighborhood, he is known as "the boy who lived" or "the boy who survived." Alex becomes friends with the 'odd' Mr Peterson after running into his garden to escape bullies, but their relationship soon grows, even including an obscure book group which Alex holds in his house named "THE SECULAR CHURCH OF KURT VONNEGUT". This in itself is another good quality of the novel, as it encourages the reader to read his books, as well as being interesting due to the science fiction elements discussed.

T]he novel won me over. Extence tells a great story that owes much to Vonnegut, but also something to Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany. It's hard not to see an echo of Harry Potter, too, in the boy-hero with a scar on his head. The final section is humane and touching, and Extence deserves credit for the clever and timely idea of fictionalising a trip to the Swiss death clinic. - Observer (UK) It's also about a gruff solitary old man, also smart and sweet on the inside - and how they meet and their relationship as it evolves and what it means to the both of them. Other characters who make an appearance are the boy's mother, a beloved dog, an older sister type figure (friend) from school and other minor characters such as kids at school, some bullies, some not, neighbors, etc. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2021-08-09 13:01:00 Boxid IA40203204 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier Well, of course, it's going to appeal to my sensitivities. It's bound to tug at anyone's heartstrings. stars A book that lingers, and made me want to start at the beginning again. A well-written debut book and a worthy read.

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Alex's first person narrative in this extract and the rest of the novel is one of the reasons it is such a compelling read, since it is straightforward and accessible (even the complicated astrophysics!) with a humorous slant on things which written in a different way could easily become depressing. This is particularly important as a large part of the novel unfolds to be about a person's right to die when and how they choose. Lccn 2012277741 Ocr tesseract 5.0.0-alpha-20201231-10-g1236 Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_detected_script_conf 1.0000 Ocr_module_version 0.0.13 Ocr_parameters -l eng Old_pallet IA15317 Openlibrary_edition

Extence's engaging coming-of-age debut skillfully balances light and dark, laughter and tears." - Publishers Weekly I'm teaching Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five this fall, so I re-read the book last week. Then, Gaiman's new book was released, and I read that one. I signed into Goodreads to review The Ocean at the End of the Lane (which was really good) and saw Gaiman's recommendation for The Universe Versus Alex Woods. I bought the book without reading more about it because I needed something to read on vacation, and I liked the cover. The characters are all incredibly well-developed, and their struggles and triumphs feel real and relatable. I found myself rooting for Alex and his unlikely friendship with Mr. Peterson, an elderly man with a passion for Kurt Vonnegut and a terminal illness. Their bond is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and their conversations about life, death, and the universe are both thought-provoking and poignant. The unlikely friendship between those two was brilliantly portrayed: The elderly Peterson, smoking weed against his chronic pain, who only hesitatingly and grudgingly opens up to Alex to, eventually, putting the ultimate trust in him. The Universe vs Alex Woods tells the story of Alex who, as a ten year old, was hit on the head by a tiny meteorite. This fantastically improbable accident lead to Alex developing epilepsy, missing a whole chunk of school and becoming kind of an oddball. Whilst running away from the school bullies one day, Alex meets Mr Peterson, a curmudgeonly Vietnam veteran. They bond over a mutual love of Kurt Vonnegut and become unlikely friends. Vielleicht startet genau dann endlich die Geschichte rund um ein sehr wichtiges und interessantes Thema (ich spoiler hier nicht, habe mich aber aktiv spoilern lassen), doch ich hatte einfach keinen Nerv mehr auf Alex. Das ist schade, denn Mr. Peterson hätte ich gern näher kennengelernt.

Gavin Extence

A tale of an unexpected friendship, an unlikely hero and an improbable journey...This novel might just strike you as one of the funniest, most heartbreaking novels you've ever read. This is the story of seventeen-year-old Alex Woods - born to a clairvoyant mother and a phantom father, victim of an improbable childhood accident - who is stopped at Dover customs in possession of 113 grams of marijuana and the ashes of his best friend, Vietnam veteran Isaac Peterson. What follows is a highly original and compelling account of Alex's life and the strange series of events that brought him here.” Though this may now sound like a depressing book, it really is more 'life-affirming', due to the style with which it is approached, and the inclusion of Alex's other anecdotes, like his relationship with older teen rebel, Ellie. I would recommend it to anyone over the age of 13, as euthanasia itself is an extremely important moral subject, though here is approached in an accessible and occasionally entertaining way, such as their adventurous break out from the hospital. The novel does not simply preach about the morality of euthanasia (even though the reader is encouraged to make their own judgement as Alex himself does), but is also an enjoyable read for the quirky characters and their interactions with each other. The only thing I can really criticize about it is that sometimes Alex would be narrating too much, like detailed descriptions of what seizures are, the asteroid belt, etc. I found the dialogues are much more strongly written, and a more effective way of propelling the story forward, rather than plainly Alex telling us what he thought or learned. Aside from that, I really liked the book. And, if you're reading this review, then you probably already know what I didn't know -- that this book centers around Vonnegut, and devotes a significant part of the book to Slaughterhouse-Five.

I really liked Alex’s mum - it was really refreshing to read about a single parent and someone who lives a very alternative lifestyle (she is a clairvoyant and owns a tarot card shop) who isn’t a flake or dropout. Mr Peterson was superb, as was Alex’s friendship with Ellie, the foul-mouthed girl in the year above. The best description that I can think of for this book is that it reminded me of "a mixture of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Up, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and The Fault in Our Stars." While that may seem like a strange combination, elements from all of these works are seamlessly combined to create a humorous, poignant novel that will leave a lasting impression. The Universe Versus Alex Woods is the kind of book that makes you think, compels you to reevaluate your beliefs and the lengths you're willing to take for a friend. I can't say this is a coming-of-age story, though, because Alex is pretty much mature for his age already. Instead, this is a story about how little incidents in our lives influence events in the future. You will have to ask yourself, if these series of incidents didn't happen to Alex, would his life have been different? If I had chosen to take the bus instead of walking, would I be with my boyfriend right now? And similar questions, which makes life so damn confusing and yet amazing. In a way, this book is a celebration of that. Overall, this was an excellent novel that will leave you with many ethical and existential questions, and will inspire you to read some of Kurt Vonnegut's works.

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If you don't understand why someone would want assisted suicide, this might help. If you don't understand why someone would want to help someone commit suicide, I think this would definitely help. And if you already understand both of those things, then it's still something that articulates all this very clearly, and might just give you words or clarity for yourself in the future. Perfectly crafted and beautifully written... The Universe Versus Alex Woods may be a debut novel but it is an outstanding novel by any standards. Unforgettable." - Red (UK) The storyline itself has many strands. It’s about the difficulty of social acceptance, coming of age, friendships, the right to die, all of which are dealt with sensitively and thought-provokingly, but also with humour and the ending was one of the most moving I’ve ever read.