In the Path of Falling Objects

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More About This Book

Overview

Jonah and his younger brother, Simon, are on their own. All they have left in the world is ten dollars, a backpack full of dirty clothes, and a stack of letters from their older brother, who’s fighting in the war. They’re on their way to Arizona when they catch a ride from a couple. The girl is friendly—and beautiful. But the man is different, maybe dangerous, maybe deadly. It’s a good thing Jonah and Simon packed one more thing in their bag . . . a gun.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Smith's Vietnam-era road trip tells the tense, violent and cathartic story of teenage brothers Jonah and Simon, 16 and 14, on the run after their mother abandons them in their New Mexico home. Their older brother, Matt, plans to desert the army, and the brothers all attempt to meet in Arizona. En route, the boys are given a lift by Mitch and Lilly, on the run from Texas. Lilly is pregnant, and Mitch, whose friendly appearance masks a serious psychosis, is taking her somewhere to have an abortion. By the time Jonah becomes aware of the danger Mitch poses, the boys are already trapped in the car with him, and Jonah's developing relationship with Lilly only fuels Mitch's anger. Smith (Ghost Medicine) paints a picture of a bleak time, with Matt's letters from Vietnam highlighting the depressing and frightening lives soldiers led even as the folks back home faced equally uncertain futures. There are moments of bleak, nasty violence, but they rarely appear gratuitous, instead underlining the despair Jonah and Simon feel, and offering something they must transcend. Ages 13–up. (Oct.)
Children's Literature
Despite the fact that it contains violence and disturbing images such as: a hinted rape, the explicit murder of a coyote, and a crazed killer who winds up stained in his own blood and stalking innocent people hidden in a trailer, this book is strangely engrossing, and, ultimately, even uplifting. Told from several perspectives, this is the story of Jonah and Simon, brothers, who have headed out on the road after being abandoned by their mother. Their hope is to find their older brother, back stateside from the Vietnam War. Their journey takes a detour, however, when they find themselves in a car rolling across the desert with a man who gets scarier by the second and a teenage girl neither one of them can quite bring himself to walk away from. It is a harrowing ride, but it is one that affirms the bond between the brothers and leaves them better off than they were when they started—if not by a whole lot. This is not a warm and fuzzy book. The central characters are likeable but very human—and their humanity gives them depth and grit. This is a book that will be difficult to put down, but it is probably not one that will appeal to the very young. In the hands of the right person, however, this is a powerful story that will leave the reader breathless. Reviewer: Elizabeth McMunn-Tetangco
More Reviews (3) Fewer Reviews
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—Falling Objects is a mystical, lyrical, sometimes violent, and ultimately hopeful story of what it means to be a brother. The novel begins with a look back at a murder and quickly moves forward to northern New Mexico and brothers Jonah, 16, and Simon, 14, a dead horse at their feet, a gun in Jonah's backpack, parents nowhere to be found. From the first squashed scorpion, readers feel the heat and hopelessness of the boys' situation. Jonah's most precious possessions are letters from their older brother, who is slowly succumbing to despair in Vietnam. The boys hitch a ride with Mitch, an unstable killer; Lilly, who likes to make Mitch jealous; and a literal tin man who rides in the backseat. Parts of the book are spare and poetic; parts are gritty and grim. Several characters are dead by the last chapter. Despite it all, there is a feeling of closure, as it seems that the brothers could make a new start with a young man they meet, Dalton, and his nontraditional family. For teens looking for something to sink their teeth into, Smith offers a challenging read. Powerful imagery and symbolism are threaded throughout the narrative along with Bible references, a map that Jonah is drawing, a meteorite that Simon takes along as a talisman, and references to gravity and its relentless pull. The intensity will suit serious readers who don't mind a little blood and gore.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX
Kirkus Reviews
Abandoned by their mother, out of food and even water, 16-year-old Jonah and his brother, Simon, two years younger, embark on a brutal but mesmerizing road trip that steers an unswerving course toward tragedy. Traveling from their Southwest desert home toward the Arizona prison their father will soon be leaving, they're picked up by Mitch, a murderous psychopath, and Lilly, 16, pregnant and following the path of least resistance. Mitch's car, a swank classic Lincoln, becomes the scene for much of the action, as Jonah and Simon both fall for Lilly, their poorly concealed interest enraging their unstable traveling companion. Mitch's plan to kill the brothers evolves at a leisurely pace, and horror mounts as Simon falls under his spell. Jonah safeguards letters from eldest brother Matthew, serving in Vietnam, that graphically document a different horror, with multiple killings officially sanctioned but no less brutal. His parallel story, drug- and violence-laced, is slowly revealed. The cold-blooded murders Mitch commits on whim and Matthew's war experiences steer this thriller toward the upper end of the range; older teens will be riveted. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—Andrew Smith's novel (Feiwel & Friends, 2009) tells the story of two brothers who travel through the American southwest in search of a better life. Jonah, 16, and Simon, 14, were deserted by their mother. Their father is in prison and their older brother, Matt, is serving a tour in Vietnam. The boys plan to meet up with Matt in Arizona. As their journey begins, the brothers are picked up by an insane young man and a pregnant teen who are traveling together. In dichotomous scenes, reminiscent of the movie Pulp Fiction, Mitch describes horrific murders while he placidly eats a burger in a roadside diner. The journey quickly becomes a violent fight for survival for the brothers and for everyone they meet along the way. Smith's beautiful, lyrical text is filled with allusion and symbolism, and Mike Chamberlain does an adequate job with the narration. However, at times the plot is slow-moving and the narration becomes overly descriptive, while the suspense is palpable and the plot is riveting in other sections. An intense listen for those willing to stay with it.—Patricia McClune, Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, PA

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780312659295
  • Publisher: Square Fish
  • Publication date: 10/12/2010
  • Pages: 352
  • Sales rank: 425,717
  • Age range: 13 - 18 Years
  • Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

Andrew Smith is the author of Ghost Medicine and The Marbury Lens, both of which were named American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults. In addition to writing, he teaches high school advanced placement classes and coaches rugby. He lives in Southern California with his family, in a rural location in the mountains.

Read an Excerpt

The car was a 1940 Lincoln Cabriolet, black and white with broad white-walled tires. Its top was down, and, as it neared, crunching and kicking back the dirt of the road, I saw a man at the wheel and a pretty yellow-haired girl sitting in the front, and there was also what appeared to be a third person sitting bolt-upright in the back seat.

It was as out-of-place in that desert as a sailboat would have been, and it was the kind of car you knew had to carry stories with it, but I had no intention of finding out what those stories told.

“Let’s start walking,” I said. “Just don’t even look at them.”

“We should ask them for a ride.”

“No.” I looked at Simon, then put my head down like I didn’t even know or care about that car coming up alongside us. I began walking forward, just looking at the ground, listening to our feet, the scattering sounds of tires on the gravel and dirt of the road.

I warned Simon again, “Don’t even look at them.”

So I just concentrated on not paying that car any attention. I could hear Simon following along, scooting his feet in the rocks and dirt. And it wasn’t until later, until it was too late for both of us, that I found out Simon was sticking a thumb out to beg a ride.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 9 )

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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews

  • Posted April 9, 2010

    Riveting Suspense

    Abandoned by their mother, two teenaged brothers head to Arizona from Texas on foot to meet up with their father who is being released from prison and their brother who might soon return from Vietnam. Along the way, they are picked up by a hippie serial-killer named Mitch and a pregnant 16-year-old girl named Lilly. Jonah and Simon both admire the girl and Jonah even develops a relationship with her; however, Mitch's jealousy and odd behavior soon alarm the brothers and they realize they must escape or their lives could be in peril.

    Readers will be pulled in by the short, suspenseful chapters, the letters from older brother Matthew, and the fear for the characters' future and safety.

    4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 20, 2012

    This book made me a fan of Andrew Smith. I couldn't put it down!

    This book made me a fan of Andrew Smith. I couldn't put it down! The pain experienced from being abandoned by their mother and their relationship as brothers is incredibly sad and well written. A must read!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted January 16, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Great book!

    This book was both suspenseful and a nice change from the fantasy books I tend to read. Andrew Smith wrote a very riveting story with deep rooted characters. I would recommend this book to any young adult- even adult would enjoy this book

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

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