Brody Fair is a teen who doesn’t exactly live a dream life. He faces bullies everyday, doesn’t get attention from his parents, and struggles with coming out. But then comes Nico, an artistic and care-free guy, who also has a whole new universe for him: Everland. A place where all your troubles and toils go away, and you can do anything to your heart’s desire. Here, no one cares who Brody is, they just care to have fun with him. But even though this new dimension gives him a way to relax, the real world always has to come first… doesn’t it?
This book is an interesting take on fantasy worlds, like Peter Pan’s Neverland (which is probably the inspiration of this story), as well as Narnia. But even though the plot is childlike, it goes deep into some more mature themes. Some of these include sexual orientation, mental diseases, and relationships. The main character and narrator, Brody Fair, has a likable personality and the author paints a life that makes readers understand his pain and root for his happiness. Other main characters, like Nico, are also well developed by Cameron, and just make the book more interesting. This book is definitely more directed for young adults, and even though it has Disney-like feels, children probably wouldn’t understand the main plot of the story.
I liked the touch of how Everland’s time is slower than the real world. You can stay inside this dream land for hours and hours, and when you come back to reality, mere minutes have passed. This concept seems really cool and just makes me wish we had something like Everland.
Reviewed by Ben, Glen Allen Library
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