The One Apart
This novel offers a very new and unusually mystical take on the idea that our reality is only the tip of the iceberg. It stretches the length of Tres/Aaron’s life, chronicling his childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood, with all the complex experiences that are a part of those periods of life.
The most striking thing about the story is the depth and realism of our hero’s relationships. There’s a realness to the love we feel from his mother and grandmother. You rarely see male relationships, whether it is friendship or rivalry, depicted so well in most modern novels as you do here. The weirdness of teenage attraction shows up in its awkward emotional immaturity, as does a more mature and very sweet romance with a realistic young woman.
The mystical element is interesting, too, though it does seem to interrupt the mundane part so the tale jumps rather awkwardly from time to time. This works in a way, however, as the true nature of reality and the overall plot becomes apparent. Just be patient with these interruptions and their odd concurrence with other events. The author took a big risk by choosing such an odd story and pulled off the ultimate explanation of how her complex world works pretty well. ...
The One Apart is a story heavy with emotion and there is some excellent writing that really carries it. Its seemingly awkward pacing is actually a bonus to its world-building, which is a very clever twist on an idea that often seems overdone. A unique tale that rewards readers who take the journey with Tres.