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288 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2015






"There's sickness, and there's sadness. But the thing is, there's love, too. I try never to forget that."




What did I think of this one? You mean apart from the feeling that Taylor Swift and Ellie Goulding are prolly going to end up richer because of this book?
Ha ha ha! Kidding aside, I thought the book was simple. Wait! When I say simple, I don't say it in the negative sense. What I mean is that, really the beauty of Anything Could Happen is in its simplicity. How it did not try so hard to add BIG MOMENTS which would have diverted the story out of its main purpose and/or focus. How it did not try to put unnecessary tension through overbearing drama and the trivial teenage problems that I've read time and time again in books with high school setting such as this. It is a coming out story, but like music, this one's the unplugged version where you get to appreciate the talent behind the song more than the song itself. It is a coming out story, but this one has been stripped bare. It did not make a circus out of the coming out process. That coming out is just normal -- part of growing up and the never ending journey of the self. That alone makes this book stand out from the rest.
And what's more is Will Walton's ability to sprinkle magic to his characters, like what he did with Tretch's simple life. The way Will Walton writes is just magical. The way he weaves words into sentences and paragraphs and chapters has this poetic and lyrical ring to it, something you only get to see from experienced writers in the YA world. I like Tretch a lot. If I'd have to describe him in one word, I'd say he is a survivor. The way he handled himself after everything that happened and the way he matured in the aftermath of unrequited love is just brave. Brave in a non-feisty, quiet kind of brave.
Will Walton is definitely a dark horse. I'd be happy to read more of his work in the future. Congratulations on your debut Will!