The Taking of Jake Livingston is like if Get Out were set in a high school coming of age story. A mix that on the surface seems to be a strange match, but one that works very well in practice. Jake grapples with being able to see the dead, being gay, and being black in a predominately white school.
Douglass expertly touches on all of these themes in a way that is both accurate and compelling. Jake himself is a lovable character, as are the friends he makes along the way. Douglass splits the book between Jake and Sawyer, the antagonist. Sawyers chapters were even more compelling to me than Jakes and the book forces you to grapple with the notion that perhaps not all evil people are exactly as they appear on the surface.
The writing is simple but powerful and I would love to read more from Douglass. He's absolutely an up and coming author you've got to keep your eye on.
Douglass expertly touches on all of these themes in a way that is both accurate and compelling. Jake himself is a lovable character, as are the friends he makes along the way. Douglass splits the book between Jake and Sawyer, the antagonist. Sawyers chapters were even more compelling to me than Jakes and the book forces you to grapple with the notion that perhaps not all evil people are exactly as they appear on the surface.
The writing is simple but powerful and I would love to read more from Douglass. He's absolutely an up and coming author you've got to keep your eye on.