In Which I Review... The Genius of Little Things by Larry Buhl

Sixteen-year-old Tyler’s big dream of becoming a top immunologist could come crashing down if he doesn’t manage all of the little things right now. But when this obsessive-compulsive science geek confronts a school election, a demeaning job, needy tutees, a first girlfriend, and the possible extinction of honeybees, there are suddenly too many things to manage.

Tyler’s catastrophically humorous run for high school student council convinces the principal that he’s a troublemaker, while it wins him the admiration and desire of Rachel, a smart and iconoclastic reporter for the school paper.
A new night job at a nursing home puts Tyler on a collision course with his new foster parents, a childless middle-aged couple with an agenda and a tragic past of their own. And the pain of his mother’s death becomes too big to ignore.

Set on the mean streets of suburban Las Vegas, The Genius of Little Things is about how you can’t always get what you want. But sometimes, well, you know...

 

Kindle Edition, first, 235 pages

Published January 15th 2013

Larry Buhl's The Genius of Little Things is exactly the type of book I love, especially when the narrator is a boy. The slightly satirical novel, which spared no amount of dry wit, follows the life of a teenaged boy named Tyler. Tyler is what I would call a social nightmare. He's sweet hearted, but he is also no good with people. He is full of humor and witty retort, and kept me laughing throughout the novel.

Besides his wit and his hard time socializing, the good thing about Tyler is that he is relatable. Whether or not the reader is a foster or adopted child, a student stressing over college applications, and acceptances, or a teen searching for love, Tyler's story is one that all teen readers can identify with.

I love it when I come across books such as this one. It's rare finding a book that reminds me of those quirky types of books that became popular by early low-brow and indie authors.

This book will forever go into a vault in my brain with books like How to Say Goodbye in Robot, almost every David Levithan and Rachel Cohn book, and more recently Dayla Moon's novels, Practice Cake and Smart Mouth Waitress.

Trust me, that's a high compliment. I rate The Genius of Little Things a 4.5 out of 5 stars. What is most surprising is that Buhl managed to pack a great, heartfelt, and sardonic story into 235 pages.

Definitely to be read.