Absolute Value

by Anna Henrik

When there are no good choices...how do you make the RIGHT choice?

Nate and Gabrielle are looking forward to their junior year of high school. Then Gabrielle discovers that she's pregnant. As shocked as he is, Nate still expects Gabrielle to keep the baby. He's from a Christian family who believes in the sanctity of human life. But Gabrielle is leaning toward an entirely different decision--and he's starting to see things her way.

Told from both Nate and Gabrielle's points of view, ABSOLUTE VALUE is a powerful story about two teens and their families who confront the gray area between right and wrong...and who are changed forever as a result.

310 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2012

About the author

Anna Henrik is not my real name.

Well, this is awkward. :)

I wish I could give you the information you expect—what else I’ve published, a bit about my family, some funny line about my hobbies or pets that lets you know I’m a likable person—but I can’t. Instead I’ll tell you why I’m using a pseudonym.

It’s likely that some readers will be upset by the choices my characters make. And I’m not looking for a fight. I don’t want this book to interfere with other work that’s important to me, and I don’t want my family to be negatively affected. But I do feel that ABSOLUTE VALUE needs to be out in the world at this time. We live in a divided world and we need to find common ground. Maybe this book can help.

To learn more or start a discussion, visit my Facebook page: @AbsoluteValueNovel

Reviews

[Jill Kalz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fearless writing. Not only did Henrik take on the controversial topic of teen pregnancy, she added in religion and abortion, too! And she handled all three honestly, head-on. This is a very internal, intimate YA book -- lots of soul-searching and internal monologue -- with chapters alternating point of view between the two main characters, a pair of bright, good-hearted high-school juniors named Nate and Gabrielle who find themselves faced with an unwanted pregnancy. The couple struggles to make the right choice, considering their feelings for one another, their age and future goals, their family dynamics, their religious beliefs ... Highest marks to Henrik for her dialogue, especially between the main characters and their parents. Very authentic, totally believable. No disinfected "after-school special," Absolute Value is a book that doesn't shy away from getting right to the core of how complicated and heart-breaking this one decision can be.

[Melanie Springer Mock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book was more widely read. Such a careful, nuanced treatment of a difficult topic, one that could be helpful to other young people who are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy. The characters are relatable and complex, their stakes in the decision-making of the two protagonists believable.

[Barrie Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute Value is the story of Gabrielle and Nate, two 16-year-old high school students who have gone out together for over six months. The story begins the week before their junior year of high school begins. Nick wants to go to the Minnesota State Fair with Gabrielle. Something is off with Gabrielle, but Nick thinks it’s because she’s ready to break up with him. When they take a ride on the Ferris wheel, Gabrielle gets nauseous and sick. And now Nick knows the secret Gabrielle has kept to herself for a week.

Once Gabrielle’s pregnancy is revealed, we get to know the characters. The plot builds and Henrik gives us a story about teenage pregnancy that is as unique as the two characters at its center.

Henrik alternates chapters between Nick and Gabrielle’s points of view. We see each of them try desperately to understand how Gabrielle’s pregnancy will change their lives. Readers then see how the rush of emotions and thoughts leave their mark on Gabrielle and Nate. They begin to change right in front of our eyes as they try to take on adult decisions using their sixteen-year-old experience of life.

Absolute Value is not a story written to stake out a philosophical position or take a political stand in the abortion debate. The novel could have easily been that. But the author chose to give us a story about two well-developed characters going through the most difficult time of their young lives. The plot takes in all the day-to-day events that affect a teenager in high school. There are lunches with friends in the cafeteria, church youth group, and the silliness and annoying habits of younger siblings. All of this keeps the story moving at a steady pace. Gabrielle learns about the limits of friendships. Nate struggles with shame and guilt over not living up to the Christian values he was raised with.

Both Gabrielle and Nate are well-rounded characters. For me, Henrik’s ability to write about Nate and his emotional growth through the book is a great feat. In Nate, Henrik created a male character who could have been portrayed as the bad guy, or at best, a two-dimensional fill-in written to give someone for Gabrielle to react to. After all, Nate got Gabrielle pregnant. Nate was raised in a household where the immorality of abortion is clear to everyone. Nate proves to be a thoughtful, kind and conscientious person because of his upbringing. Nate’s sense of responsibility and loyalty, his love for Gabrielle, and the expectations of his parents are all pushing and pulling at his conscience. We see him begin to take on the shape of the man he will one day become. Nate begins to understand something many adults don’t. That life is about choosing who you are and accepting what comes out of making that choice. It’s not about seeing everything as a choice between right and wrong.

The strength of the characterization of Gabrielle and Nick sets Anna Henrik’s book apart from many YA novels. They are likeable but go through periods of normal adolescent self-centeredness. Resentments build at times and threaten to separate Nate and Gabrielle from each other, from friends, and from family. Gabrielle and Nate come to understand their decisions will affect not only their futures, but those of their families for years to come. The characters in Absolute Value develop in a realistic, emotionally complicated way. And the plot remains tight and full of the unexpected right to the last page.

I’ve known the author for many years as someone who writes for young readers. When I asked if she thought of writing for teenagers or adults, she lent me a copy of Absolute Value. It was a pleasure to read and review it.