Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass is a story just like its title. Jeremy Fink, a 12-almost-13-year-old boy, is trying to discover the meaning of life. I've never had to think so hard while reading a book in my life. What really is the meaning of life? How did we get here any why? These are a few of the questions Jeremy is faced with in his many adventures throughout this book.
Jeremy receives a box for his 13th birthday titled The Meaning of Life. It is from his deceased father, but the keys are missing. Jeremy along with his best friend Lizzy, do everything they can to find out what's inside the box. They encounter many things and eventually discover an answer they weren't expecting.
Lizzy lives in the apartment next to Jeremy. They seem to go everywhere together. Lizzy adds excitement to the story with her spunky attitude and her rebellious ways. The author does a good job of balancing the bravery of Lizzy with the more reluctant Jeremy.
This book is told through Jeremy's point of view, and the language in the book reflects his personality and child-like presence. I think this makes Jeremy a really relatable character. Mass grabs your attention from the very beginning with the frost line being, “My sweat smells like peanut butter.” The things Jeremy thinks, does, feels, sees and says are very appropriate and Mass carries out this character through the very last page.
I'm sure we've all viewed the meaning of life in a similar way to Jeremy's point of view. At first, he believes that there is one, universal meaning of life. But throughout the book, he continues to uncover pieces of what the meaning of life really is. One powerful quote from the book is, “Until recently, I thought it was death that gave meaning to life - that having an endpoint is what spurred us on to embrace life while we had it. But I was wrong. It isn't death that gives meaning to life. LIFE gives meaning to life. The answer to the meaning of life is hidden right there inside the question." I found this very powerful and I'm sure you will to.
Mass does a great job of putting a clear picture of each and every character in your head. She mixes a very relatable story with a little adventure and suspense. In the end, this book will leave you satisfied and just plain happy, for no reason. I hope after reading this book you to discover the compelling, yet so simple, meaning of life.