In this debut novel, Thomas takes on some pretty challenging ideas. Some elements work better than others, if I’m being truthful, but this is certainly an exciting author.
This is what we’re told:
Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie is allergic to electricity. Contact with it causes debilitating seizures. Moritz’s weak heart is kept pumping by an electronic pacemaker. If they ever did meet, Ollie would seize. But Moritz would die without his pacemaker. Both hermits from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times—as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him.
At times this reads like a foray into science-fiction, but I think it will have more appeal to fans of John Green. It is very much character-driven and the choice to create these two characters through their letters to one another is a brave one. It made the pace feel a little slow initially, but it does give us opportunity to learn their history without feeling over-burdened.
As we come to learn more about the boys and their history we cannot fail to find their allure. These are quirky characters, but they have a searing honesty that is refreshing to read.