Hutchinson, Shaun David. We Are the Ants.

Hutchinson, Shaun David.  We Are the Ants.  Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse      2016  464p  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-4814-4963-2      hs/adult    Science fiction  E-BN 

Henry Denton has been abducted by aliens and held by them since he was thirteen. They have told him the world will end within a year unless he pushes “the button.” Why should he? After all, his boyfriend committed suicide, his mom is struggling at a job she hates, his grandma has Alzheimers, and his brother got his girlfriend pregnant. Although this was a difficult book to get into due to alien abductions (really?), within twenty pages this reader was caught. The author takes the reader into the mind of a 16-year-old gay male who is trying to figure out his life. Henry is an outcast in his school. He is perpetually allowing the school super-jock to have sex with him, just to know he is real. He lives with being called “space boy” because he was found wandering around the community in little or no clothing after the aliens returned him to earth. The author also does a beautiful job developing the characters of Henry’s mom, grandmother, brother, the brother’s girlfriend, and all of the other auxiliary people in Henry’s life. We feel Henry’s pain through the writing. Have a box of tissues handy for the last few pages, as Henry truly learns not just who he is, but what may be the meaning of life. This is an excellent coming-of-age novel.
There is a lot of overt sexuality and blue language used throughout the book. Each character is described fully, both the good and the bad aspects, and this could be difficult reading for younger young adults. But it is an excellent book for any high-school or public library collection, and will find its audience with young adults hovering in the periphery of a school’s social life. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Summary: Henry Denton has been abducted by aliens and held by them since he was thirteen. They have told him the world will end within a year unless he pushes “the button.” Why should he? After all, his boyfriend committed suicide, his mom is struggling at a job she hates, his grandma has Alzheimers, and his brother has gotten his girlfriend pregnant.

Science fiction, Growing up-Fiction                         --Lynn Fisher