Out of Nowhere

by Ouida Sebestyen

Harley, a teenager abandoned by his mother in the Arizona desert, starts to build a new life and a family with the help of some eccentric friends and Ish, a castaway pit bull. Reprint.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Friendship, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Ouida Sebestyen, nee Dockery, was born February 13, 1924, in Vernon, TX. She married Adam Sebestyen in 1960 and had one son. She attended the U. of Colorado. She began writing at age eighteen, but did not publish her first book, Words by Heart until 1979. Part of this novel had originally appeared as a short story in the magazine 'Ingenue' in 1968. The book was well received, and Ms. Sebestyen has continued to write fiction for young adults. She draws her inspiration, and often her setting, from the American West, especially its contrasting harshness and beauty, and the demands it places upon an individual's survival. While not all her novels are set in a sharply defined Western setting, throughout all of her books she focuses on characterization and detail, with an emphasis on human emotions and development. Her work is noted for its honesty and provocative story lines that do not always provide a conventional happy ending.

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

My brother was given 'Out of Nowhere' as a teenager, by someone who noticed his lack of interest in reading and thought this would get him to change his mind. After reading the book, I don't blame my brother for never actually reading it and it living in our attic for the last 20 years. The premise sounded intriguing, a teenage boy dropped in the desert to fend for himself, who then befriends a stray dog and a few other people also searching for their futures. However, the book quickly turns from the desert scene to the whole group of 4 humans and 1 dog living under one roof, trying to redefine the meaning of 'family'. From the beginning of the book, it already felt weird, as the boy is 13, and his mother seems more interested in her latest boyfriend and how he can advance her career in Vegas, so she just dumps her son off to somehow find his way back to LA, where there's maybe a waitress who remembers him and will put him in touch with Mom if she ever checks in from The Strip? If the book had been a story of the kid living in the wild and using the hardships to build himself into a wise young man, I'd forgive the odd beginning, but it stays strange throughout. The most enjoyable part of the book was the dog, although it's clear neither the kid nor any of the adults he meets really know how to care for the dog, and the dog suffers because of it.
Maybe there's a good message in this book for lost, troubled boys (of which my brother wasn't one, just a kid who found the books on school reading lists to be insufferable. To be fair, I loved reading and shared his assessment of those reading lists), but I'm almost 40, and I didn't pick up on any hidden meanings.

[Charmaine Wierzbicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book 10 stars, /I would. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. For anyone who read The Bean Trees and loved it, this book is similar on many levels, without being repetitive. Actually, this book was written before Barbara Kingsford's novel. Harley and the family he finally helps create are very dysfunctional, yet heartwarming and real. I wished there was more to read when I was finished.

[Dan Bohannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brings together individuals that have been thrown away by their families. The author uses the life of Harley, a young boy who's gold-digging mother does not have time for him, to tell the story of how a group of individuals come together to form their own family and a sense of belonging.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age story mixed with themes of abandonment and discovering family in unlikely places. I first read this YA book as a pre-teen, and have found it still a great story even in my late 20s. Strong characters and storyline, I’d recommend picking it up and giving it a try.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emotion-ridden story. The swearing could have been omitted, as well as the misuse of God's name.

[Anna Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time in middle school. I distinctly remember checking it out of the library and absolutely loving it. For some reason it really resonated with me, probably because I was an outcast with maybe two friends and a verbally abusive, alcoholic father and depressed, head-in-the-sand mother. I really connected with Harley, Ish and the others in this book. Of course, this was before Goodreads and I couldn't remember the name of this book or the author, for probably at least the last decade!!! Guess what I found a couple weeks ago at the Salvation Army near my house???!!! So pleased, and I'll definitely be reading this again soon. Sometimes the best books are the ones that stick with you long after - whether you remember the title or not! :D

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vernie is trying to con her latest boyfriend into letting Harley go all the way to Houston with them, but he catches on. In a fit of anger, Harley volunteers to leave, taking only his duffel bag, and consequently is left behind in the desert. A similar fate awaits the little dog who is racing frantically after his owner's truck as it speeds away. Harley decides to adopt the little abandoned dog, just as May, whose been abandoned by her husband, decides to help Harley. She is headed for a house that she owns, but is currently being rented out. When Harley and May arrive, they find Bill and Singer. Somewhere along the way, this little group of misfits pulls together in a tragedy and finds strength and family in one another.

[Bish Denham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. However, the behavior of the main adults, May and Bill, didn't quite ring true to me. Having worked with abused and neglected kids for 23 years, it seems to me they would have been more concerned about Harley, who was basically abandoned by his mother in the middle of the desert. That aside, I really liked Singer and cared about Harley. While Ish, the pit bull, added wonderful spice. Singer in particular was a breath of fresh air.

[Aimee Shepperd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was one of my all time favorite books. I read it for the first time when I was in middle school and have read it many times since then. It was one of the books that made me fall in love with reading.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book is really good even though I am still reading it. I will catch up to you later and give you my second review when i am finished.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to teach students about family and the differences between families.

[Kit★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this way back in elementary school and I've hung onto it ever since.

[Melanie]

While I haven't read this book in a long time, I read this many times in middle/high school. It was one of my favorites! I need to revisit this one!

[Al Cormier · Rating 4 out of 5]

an excellent tale of a group of outcasts that find each other.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my all-time favorites; a must-read at any age!