Nominated for the Ottawa Book Award
Stan is an intense sixteen-year-old loner who desperately wants to make the junior varsity basketball team. And it seems that he may be about to do so, until he’s blindsided by the unexpected attentions of Janine Igwash. Suddenly Stan is no longer thinking about jump shots. Instead he is obsessed with Janine’s spiky hair, her milky white shoulders and the mysterious little tattoo at the base of her neck, not to mention the heat of her breath, her dark eyes, wide hips and … Then Stan’s father arrives on the scene with Stan’s four-year-old half brother, and things become truly insane. Tilt is a wonderfully droll and insightful story about a sensitive, intelligent and gently funny young man living through an impossibly absurd time of life. This book is a rare achievement -- a witty, sexy compulsively readable work of high literary quality.
...a delightful novel, one that is smart, tender and funny in all the right places...
. . . clever plotting. . .
"...a lovely, moving combination of teenage wonder and real life chaos."
Cumyn demonstrates a great sense of phrasing.
Cumyn writes with an artless, resilient quirkiness, a wry, plainspoken inventiveness that instantly animates scenes and characters.
Highly Recommended.
...the novel is a strong, easy read with a fluid and often funny storyline...
...a tender, funny, and insightful coming-of-age story.
A complex and always engaging novel, this is a thoroughly satisfying read.
Tilt is an edgy, coming-of-age novel that will appeal to most young adults. The authentic characters are engaging...