Pain & Wastings

by Carrie Mac

At fifteen, Ethan is on the fast track to nowhere. In and out of group homes and constantly in trouble, Ethan is fighting to find a sense of who he is. After breaking into an amusement park and being savaged by a police dog, he is befriended by a paramedic. Offered a choice of court or going on a ride-along in an ambulance, Ethan takes what he thinks is the easy way out. On Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Ethan comes face to face with the horrific truth from his past and must learn to deal with where he came from--and where he is going.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Canada, Ebooks, Novels, Teen, Fiction

122 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Four-eyed bookworm, tattooed queer, storyteller nomad mama to two unschooled earthlings, based in East Van, overlooking the shipyard cranes and always ready for the next most amazing giant tiny little big wonderful something to capture my attention.

Or:

When Carrie Mac was born, her right eye gawked off in one direction while her left eye looked the other way. Well meaning adults thought she was a changeling and so they wrapped her up and put her on the porch for the fairies to take back, please and thank you. It was snowing. It was dark. No fairies came. The same well meaning adults decided she'd catch her death out there. So they brought her in and kept her after all.

She's read millions of books, and has sat happily at the feat of a legion of storytellers. She is equally fascinated by disaster and grace. car wrecks, hurricanes, plagues, and genocides on the one hand, small and stunning everyday miracles on the other. She sometimes wishes she were a pirate. She'd often wished she'd run away and joined the circus when she had the chance. She spends a great deal of time in the company of her imagination, and when she isn't, she's wide eyed and awed by this planet and the people running amok all over it.

Reviews

[Andrew (Drew) Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read quite a few books that take place in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, including 2 YA novellas. In all but a few of these books, the setting seems to grant the writer a chance to sensationalize the area. It's part of the mythology of the DTES, and, as a resident down here for the last 10 years, I get it. It is a strange enough place that any writing will lurch into sensationalism every once in a while. But often, the lurid details take away from the sense of community that one witnesses daily. The vibrancy and friendships that keep the place moving.

The sensationalism is evident in this book's title. The on-the-noseness continues in the writing itself, from the first sentence: "Tonight we're going to break into Playland, the amusement park across the highway from the group home." The second clause is entirely unnecessary. The last line of the book makes that second clause even less necessary. There's a lot of handholding throughout, but...

... after reading the book I find out that the series it is written for seeks grade 2.0 readers with grade 7-9 interest. Fair enough. I have to forgive a lot and, considering how the book ends (quite moving), I may give Carrie Mac another chance with a book geared closer to my age range. But because this is my review and not from my hypothetical perspective as a high interest low ability reader, I give it 3 stars.

[Salma G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salma Guzman – book review #1

In a place where kids are the worst but there is Evan and he’s one of those kids who represents are one of the. worst even is a kid who is trying to figure out out who is himself but there’s only one thing In his live who he is trying to figure out who killed (murdered) his mom when he was just a kid but the reason he’s trying to recover himself is to keep him alive. By the help of Kelly and to teach and tell him how she knew her mom and how she found out how they killed his mom but the only thing still getting in his past is remembering everything that happened to him and Evan is just putting the pieces of the puzzle and. Figure out his dark past and his life in the way to figure out everything
The plot is very suspenfull because Evan is an on the edge of knowing...Knowing who killed (murdered) his mom and it makes you think if you were there with them really believable. You could make a movie out of it and being right there with them Evan is a boy who gets in trouble for breaking In everywhere and he’s just makes me what to help him find who is his mom Evan is remembering his past and you feel like if you with him is believable. I like how the author uses in some parts humor, seriousness he is really good in making you believe everything like in a movie but the problem that Evan is going is that he is. Considered a criminal to me and himself he is one of those kids who steals do drugs breaks into (amusement parks )and so more many stuff happening and I guarantee you will leave you in the edge to read more I recommend you to read more I recommend this to libraries this will inspire you to read more “powerful” pain and wasting is one of the best books you can read. To young adults and to learn a lesson into not do drugs and not get into trouble this for me is a five star book .

[Masen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this essay i will be doing a book review and a book summary of the book that i read the name of this book is called Pain and Wasting the author of this book is named Carrie Mac. Here is book summary i found on good reads.com “At fifteen, Ethan is on the fast track to nowhere. In and out of group homes and constantly in trouble, Ethan is fighting to find a sense of who he is. After breaking into an amusement park and being savaged by a police dog, he is befriended by a paramedic. Offered a choice of court or going on a ride-along in an ambulance, Ethan takes what he thinks is the easy way out. On Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Ethan comes face to face with the horrific truth from his past and must learn to deal with where he came from--and where he is going”(Carrie). “ This summary i found by Zoe S.sums up the book very well. “Pain & Wastings, by Carrie Mac, is a fictional story about, and narrated, by a boy named Ethan who breaks into an amusement park and gets caught by the police. His choice is to either go to juvie or take what he thinks is the easy way out and go on paramedic runs with one of the paramedics, Holly, who already knows too much about him and her partner, John. Ethan is faced with remembering his terrible past as he turns onto the street corner he used to live on, Main and Hastings, which is called Pain & Wastings for a reason. Will Ethan be able to deal with facing his past or will he have to figure out his own way to get out it? In my opinion this book is well written and gives a lot of detail but the book is short which I like! This book is a fast paced read showing a struggle that a young teenage boy is facing that others are able to relate to. The author creates brilliant personalities and it feels like you are actually there while you read. She also has a remarkable of way of describing how Ethan has survived different foster homes when he was a young boy. The only downside I see while reading is while Carrie Mac is descriptive with her writing I feel she does not provide enough detail about Ethan’s life with his drug induced and hooker mother. The author is still descriptive with them but only gives not even half a page of little clips of what the protagonist experienced throughout his stripped away life. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book that evokes a lot of nostalgia and talks about the dark side drug use and how it affects younger kids throughout their year"(Zoe). That summary pretty much sums up the whole book i read. I think it was a pretty interesting book. It's the first book of the year i've read and i really enjoyed it. In this review i found they did a really good job of reviewing it the persons name who reviewed it is Roise “Novelist described this book as a “High interest story designed for reluctant readers or those reading below grade level.” I think this is a perfect description of this book. Carrie Mac, who is a paramedic herself opens the story with Ethan, a juvenile delinquent who has had a troubled past, breaking an entering and getting attacked by a dog. Holly is the paramedic on the scene and happens to know Ethan from when he was a child. Ethan is intrigued by the fact that Holly knew his dead mother and is suddenly inundated with memories he has suppressed for years. When Holly offers to take Ethan on four night shift ride alongs instead of going back to prison, he is forced to face his past and come to terms with who he is. With all of their flaws, Mac creates very realistic, relatable characters and artfully interjects small pieces of Ethan’s past into the story creating a mysterious element that will keep readers flipping through the pages to see what happens”(Roise). I believe this was one of the better books I read because I like short books. The reason I like short book is because I can't stay interested in a book very long before it becomes uninteresting to me. Overall this was a very good book that if I could I would definitely read again.

[Koda]

My book “pain and wastings” written by carrie mac is a murder mystery type book. Carrie mac is a famous author known for writing young adult fiction. She is a canadian author and has won numerous awards for her writing. Other books she has written include, crush a book about a teenage relationship and the beckoners a book about a young girl moving to a new town.

The storyline of this book is very detailed including details about the characters own life like the mistakes he made and about his future self. The book is a murder mystery so the whole time your reading you constanly have to look back and figure things out on your own which is very fun. In this book there is suspense around every corner from dog attacks, to finding a dead body,to hiding secrets from everybody this book is very suspenseful.

My best description of this book would detailed. This book so very in depth in the little things to give you a picture of what's going on throughout the book. I will remember reading this book because there was a new beginning every chapter. This means that every chapter you wanted to read more and more because of how interesting it was. This book also made me shift my thinking by making the reader figure out what's going on rather than just telling you. The main point and issues this book raises is that there is a murder, they found a body, and they dont want anyone finding out what they know. This book is fiction but the details from the book could very well be a real life story in our world today. This book affected me by giving me a better outlook on how i read a book and how I figure things out. All in all, sometimes you have to go backward to figure out what is in front of you. I highly recommend this book it is a page turner and will leave you in aw by the end of the chapter.

[Enrique Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book that I read called “Pain and Wasting” is written by Carrie Mac is about a kid who lost his mom when he was young. This book talks about how the kid finds out what actually happened to his mom who they say over dosed but was actually killed by somebody.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fast read. A bit graphic, a bit.... naughty? Honesty about the streets and troubled youth. Troubled pasts and influential people. Good read for a mature audience but I would not label it with an uplifting or encouraging take away

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Ethan Mingus Kirby was born to a mother whose life became filled with heroine, poverty, and prostitution. They lived in the ghetto neighborhood at Main and Hastings, nicknamed Pain and Wastings. At the tender age of six, Ethan witnessed his mother's brutal murder.

This short novel picks up after Ethan has spent years in numerous foster homes and developed a bitter attitude toward life in general. He has a run-in with the law and is given the choice of a five shift ride-along with the local paramedics or a stint in juvie.

Ethan chooses the paramedic adventure, never dreaming that he will be reliving that horrible time in his past when his mother died.

One of the high-interest, lower-reading level series by Orca Book Publishing, PAIN & WASTINGS is one young man's emotional journey into the past to deal with his demons. It is hoped that by doing so he can build a more successful future.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novelist described this book as a “High interest story designed for reluctant readers or those reading below grade level.” I think this is a perfect description of this book. Carrie Mac, who is a paramedic herself opens the story with Ethan, a juvenile delinquent who has had a troubled past, breaking an entering and getting attacked by a dog. Holly is the paramedic on the scene and happens to know Ethan from when he was a child. Ethan is intrigued by the fact that Holly knew his dead mother and is suddenly inundated with memories he has suppressed for years. When Holly offers to take Ethan on four night shift ride alongs instead of going back to prison, he is forced to face his past and come to terms with who he is.

With all of their flaws, Mac creates very realistic, relatable characters and artfully interjects small pieces of Ethan’s past into the story creating a mysterious element that will keep readers flipping through the pages to see what happens

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be really interesting.I think that this book can relate to some people by the community Ethan has lived in or some of the struggles he has gone through throughout his life. I like how the book was very descriptive and gave me a lot to think about and the way the story helped me create images in my head to help me better understand what the author was trying to show through out the story. Overall I think this is a very good book that can show people some of the struggles others can be going through in their lives.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ethan is a juvenile delinquent who keeps getting in trouble. One night while breaking into an amusement park he ends up needing paramedics. The paramedic who helps him reveals that she knew his mom. This information sends Ethan on a trip down memory lane that he doesn't want to go on. Through brief daydreams of the past we learn what happened on the day his mother died.
Good book for older teens who are 'reluctant readers'. Contains some mature content.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this was a short read, literally only took me 30 minutes to read, it was amazingly powerful. Normally, I'm not too big on shorter novels because the characters don't always fully develop, but I felt the real raw emotions that Ethan was experiencing. I was heart broken for him, and wished that I could fix all his problems. This is a quick read that is really worth the little amount of time it will take to read it.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

This young adult novel is high interest, low reading level (grade 3-4) and edgy, about a tough guy who avoids going to juvie yet again by agreeing to shadow ambulance workers for a week. He comes to terms with his mother's violent death when he was a little boy, but his problems aren't sugar-coated.

[Yasmin Ruiz]

After reading this book it made me cry i know how Ethan felt. i think he passed through a lot of things especially watching his mom died. my opinion about this book is that no wonder at the beginning of the story he and hes best friend were planning to steal they weren't well educated cause they didn't have a mom or a dad.

[Bluu82 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pain & Wastings is a surprising book. It's filled with suspence as through out the book you wonder what happened to Ethan's (main character)mother. I think if i was ever in a situation like this i would a have a simular reaction to Ethan because what he went throutgh was traumatising, exspecially at such a young age. I reconmend this book.

[Sade · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked the book and the charaters were good but i did not get the part when ethan and his friend climb he tower his friend dissapered but ethan got his leg ripped i did not really get that part but it was a good book

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

another orca sounding - didn't like this one as much - I get that the experience with the ambulance was cathartic but the story just seems way too rough for the intended audience. didn't seem quite realistic even though i'm sure that sadly enough it probably is more common than I realize.

[Taylor]

This was a good book. (:

[Amanda Skinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome!! I found myself racing to get to the end just to find out what had happened in the past. I love it when authors tease you like! Well worth the read.

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of the better Orca books.

[London · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was very good.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, however the ending felt unfinished

[Sara P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

[Audrey]

This book is about this kid named Ethan he is fifteen years old. Ethan and his friend decide to go out and climb on something in an abandoned amusement park and then ethan runs while his friend stays. Ethan ends up getting bit by a dog and ends up needing help. Ethan has to go to his job everyday that he doesn't get paid for or else he’s gone. When he gets picked up for work the paramedic says she knows Ethan from when he was little and she won’t tell him how she knows him.

[Annie]

In the book Pain and Wasting, I thought it was interesting. I think it takes some time to get into but it made me want to keep reading to see what happened to the main character next. In the beginning the main character Ethan is on a track to nowhere. He got in a lot of trouble, with both his foster parents, and the police. His mother had died in front of him when he was younger, which scared him badly. Though he was very young he still remembered it vividly. But throughout the book Ethan had help the paramedics and got a sense of belonging. He helped them instead of going to juvie for some trouble he had gotten into. Ethan had been to moved all around to different foster homes since his mother's death. After the many early mornings and sleepless nights Ethan realized that getting in trouble doesn't get him anywhere and he had started to care for others more and stopped getting in trouble with the authorities. I liked how the author showed how he started to care more about others and how he started to straighten his life up a lot more throughout the book.