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This Side of Normal
Ed Devlin has problems. His parents haven't got along since Ed's uncle died. His father drinks too much and his mother has all but given up on her spouse. Sid, Ed's best friend, has no time for him because he's too busy chasing a girl more likely to end up in jail than at graduation. Ed is dejected and lonely and beginning to realize that he has one more issue to deal with--something is wrong with his body.
Ed constantly has to use the bathroom and he can't quench his thirst. He's lost weight and can barely sleep at night. Ed has no clue what's wrong with him and is too concerned with everything else to care. He's exhausted and hoping for his life to change.
It will change, but not in any way he imagines. Ed's life is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets any better. Just like all the other problems, this one is beyond his control. It will overwhelm him and force him to find a way through. Force him to become someone new.
Ed constantly has to use the bathroom and he can't quench his thirst. He's lost weight and can barely sleep at night. Ed has no clue what's wrong with him and is too concerned with everything else to care. He's exhausted and hoping for his life to change.
It will change, but not in any way he imagines. Ed's life is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets any better. Just like all the other problems, this one is beyond his control. It will overwhelm him and force him to find a way through. Force him to become someone new.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 25, 2009
2 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Eric Devine
6 books175 followersAuthor of fearless fiction: One in Ten (4/21/20), Look Past, Press Play, Dare Me, Tap Out.
English teacher, husband, and father of two girls.
English teacher, husband, and father of two girls.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 14, 2009
Eric has done the most authentic job I've seen in capturing what it is like to be a teenage boy with medical problems.
I would recomend this book to anyone dealing with growing up with diabetes.
I would recomend this book to anyone dealing with growing up with diabetes.
September 22, 2009
I breezed through This Side of Normal today. As soon as I saw the Amazon emblazoned packaged, I ripped it open and devoured.
Technicalities: Eric Devine crafts a story of a teenaged boy growing up in a time and adolescent age where nothing is for certain. He overcomes obstacles and learns how to fight for what he needs and for what he wants.
Disease and diabetes: Being honest about a disease is extremely difficult. Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes is something that not too many people know about. I'll be honest, I am a diabetes fighting champion. I struggle with the disease every single day- choosing to live with every single shot- and there are MANY. Devine's character, Ed, does the same. We watch him learn, cope, destroy and gather courage to fight something that has happened to him that is beyond his control. Who can't relate to failures and successes? Every day brings on a new challenge and dire consequences.
Even if you don't have a disease, every single person has an ailment- something that is holding them back from becoming the person they want to be. Be it Ed's loss of his brother, his mom's coping with her decisions, Stacy's "bad girl" image, Mark's broken family, Sid's need to fit in... everyone feels these feelings at least once.
Devine crafts a story that pulls you in and takes you for the ride. Yes, it is about diabetes and it strongly urges people to learn the disease. It also forces those with diabetes to reflect on their own experiences with it- to remember that first shot, that first finger prick, that first neglect from your closest friend. But, This Side of Normal is also about learning who you are, who you will become, and what you want to get out of "life".
I remembered so much of my past while reading this story- it was uncanny. The diagnosis, the fear of change, the inevitable struggle to not be deemed "Mrs Diabetes" instead of just "Katherine". I remember taking that first shot, feeling the burn, and wincing at the first onslaught of bruises across my stomach, my thighs and the backs of my arms. I remember the fear of those lows, those aggravating highs and the undeniable TERROR that creeped through when I realized that I had made a mistake or miscalculated. It's not that I ever FORGOT those moments, but I had put them up on a shelf in my mind, but Devine brought them back out.
Whether you have diabetes, you know someone who has or even if you have no interest in the disease in any way, This Side of Normal is a battlefield of a novel. It is well worth the time to indulge and speaks to your heart. You will not be disappointed.
Technicalities: Eric Devine crafts a story of a teenaged boy growing up in a time and adolescent age where nothing is for certain. He overcomes obstacles and learns how to fight for what he needs and for what he wants.
Disease and diabetes: Being honest about a disease is extremely difficult. Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes is something that not too many people know about. I'll be honest, I am a diabetes fighting champion. I struggle with the disease every single day- choosing to live with every single shot- and there are MANY. Devine's character, Ed, does the same. We watch him learn, cope, destroy and gather courage to fight something that has happened to him that is beyond his control. Who can't relate to failures and successes? Every day brings on a new challenge and dire consequences.
Even if you don't have a disease, every single person has an ailment- something that is holding them back from becoming the person they want to be. Be it Ed's loss of his brother, his mom's coping with her decisions, Stacy's "bad girl" image, Mark's broken family, Sid's need to fit in... everyone feels these feelings at least once.
Devine crafts a story that pulls you in and takes you for the ride. Yes, it is about diabetes and it strongly urges people to learn the disease. It also forces those with diabetes to reflect on their own experiences with it- to remember that first shot, that first finger prick, that first neglect from your closest friend. But, This Side of Normal is also about learning who you are, who you will become, and what you want to get out of "life".
I remembered so much of my past while reading this story- it was uncanny. The diagnosis, the fear of change, the inevitable struggle to not be deemed "Mrs Diabetes" instead of just "Katherine". I remember taking that first shot, feeling the burn, and wincing at the first onslaught of bruises across my stomach, my thighs and the backs of my arms. I remember the fear of those lows, those aggravating highs and the undeniable TERROR that creeped through when I realized that I had made a mistake or miscalculated. It's not that I ever FORGOT those moments, but I had put them up on a shelf in my mind, but Devine brought them back out.
Whether you have diabetes, you know someone who has or even if you have no interest in the disease in any way, This Side of Normal is a battlefield of a novel. It is well worth the time to indulge and speaks to your heart. You will not be disappointed.
January 11, 2013
The book deals with the subject of diabetes and the main character is a male.
Ed has many problems in his life, a mom who has just about given up on her marriage, a father who likes to drink and a best friend who has decided he likes hanging out with girls better than his best male buddies. But Ed is about to find out dealing with this health issue is one of the biggest problems and one that will change is life on so many levels. He will hit rock bottom before climbing back up and working through all of his issues, most importantly, being a diabetic.
I particularly liked this book because it was different. It wasn't the same teenage angst. The book deals with a real life health problem that effects so many young people as well as adults.
It's well written.
Ed has many problems in his life, a mom who has just about given up on her marriage, a father who likes to drink and a best friend who has decided he likes hanging out with girls better than his best male buddies. But Ed is about to find out dealing with this health issue is one of the biggest problems and one that will change is life on so many levels. He will hit rock bottom before climbing back up and working through all of his issues, most importantly, being a diabetic.
I particularly liked this book because it was different. It wasn't the same teenage angst. The book deals with a real life health problem that effects so many young people as well as adults.
It's well written.
December 27, 2015
A realistic account of what it's like to deal with health issues on top of the normal stresses of high school life. A great book for teens dealing with any kind of chronic illness.
June 28, 2010
Not the greatest book ever. I had issues with how the kids treated Ed after they found out he had diabetes. It wasn't just the way they treated him, it was more how they acted about diabetes in general. If this was supposed to be a modern book it missed the mark because I don't know a single person that doesn't know what diabetes is, and everyone knows it isn't contagious. The way the students reacted to Ed was overreacting. That was just a big problem for me and it pretty much killed the mood of the book. I know a lot of people with diabetes and I don't avoid them like they have the plague. Other than that it was a good story and I really liked Ed and Mark as characters. The ending caught me off guard, but I won't say any more for fear of spoilers. Pick this up if you want to read a book about a kid dealing with diabetes, and if you can get over the above mentioned issue that spans the book then you would probably enjoy it a lot.
Currently reading
November 7, 2017i decided to read this book because i thought it would be interesting to read something i don't normally read. I normally read books that are related to romance or sci-fi which are more fantasy and unreality types of worlds. This book was more serious everyday life situation type of book. What i liked about the book was all the funny comments the author had the main character say and how much the author went into detail. I didn't like the book that much because it wasn't what i thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be more relating to high school and life than his health. I liked the main character, Ed, i thought he was funny. I thought it was hilarious when he licked the bathroom floor before passing out because he was so thirsty. I think i would have liked the book more if the author made Ed have more friends to talk about his problem more. So he wouldn't be so upset about it. I personally did not like the book but i am sure lots of younger high school students could. Or someone who is going through what Ed was going through. The message i got from reading this book was that even in your darkest times everything will get better. Pain is temporary. Nothing lasts forever. And if you are ever in trouble someone can help you before it is too late.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews