Review: O.Y.L. by Scott Heydt

Tags: middle grade, domestic violence, infatuation

Jenna Durstine has not had an easy past couple of years. Her dad is in prison for domestic violence, and yet his presence burdens and frightens her with every move she makes. She is in love with her English teacher, Mr. Sansom, whose intelligence and genuine concern and interest in her make her nearly dizzy with happiness. He is her handsome protector…and totally O.Y.L.: out of her league.

A series of terrifying events leads Jenna into feeling betrayed by people whom she love, and she attempts to retaliate by taking advantage of and hurting those who love her. It will take an acceptance of the past and lots of growing up before Jenna realizes her true feelings and learns to control her behavior.

O.Y.L. was an amateur literary attempt, and it shows. Besides for grammatical and syntactic inconsistencies, the characters are caricatures of people with serious and important issues. This book touches upon themes that every teen must face when growing up—the distinction between love and infatuation, selfishness and selflessness—but the issues are handled awkwardly and incompletely. I was very disappointed in O.Y.L., but can see why, for example, middle school girls might be able to finish this book.

Rating: 1 out of 5