Booked

Nick struggles with transition as he processes the shock of his parents’ breakup and his mother’s move. The news weighs on him, and he feels that his “parents are clueless” (61) to his pain. After the humorous pair of poems called “No Problemo” and “Problemo”—in which a girls’ team beats Nick’s futsal team—Nick mopes with his mother. Alexander depicts their tense, confused silence through ellipses: “... / …” (68). Nick’s mom tries to joke with him, but he abruptly changes the subject to the breakup: “You mean like you and Dad…just gave up?” (69). Both parents attempt to satisfy Nick with brief explanations and distractions, but he wants answers and clarity in the midst of this confusing, painful circumstance.

The title of the poem “The Way a Door Closes,” in which Nick’s mom leaves for Kentucky, references another novel in verse that deals with a boy’s absent father. In this poem, Alexander arranges the word FALLING in descending letters on the page to mirror Nick’s inner pain. This is an example of how Alexander marries the meaning of his words with a visual and/or poetic effect. For example, the poem “Jackpot” depicts Nick waltzing with April in a poem composed of tercets (stanzas consisting of three poetic lines). Attentive readers will notice that dancers count 1-2-3, 1-2-3 when dancing the waltz. Therefore, Alexander mimics the rhythm of his characters’ actions through the structure of the poem. 

Nick is the reader’s access point for the novel, meaning that almost every poem portrays his perspective on the world. However, other characters’ dialogue and actions sometimes challenge the reader’s understanding of Nick’s world. For example, Nick calls his dad “the warden” (87), but Coby remarks that his best friend’s father has several thousand followers on social media and remembers when Nick’s dad took them to an amusement park. Nick may not want to believe his dad is cool or fun, but he might be misconstruing his father in the midst of his dissatisfaction. Nick complains to Coby about his mother as well: “It’s not like she even asked me to come with her” (63). Although he might resent his parents, the reader might see them differently through their dialogue and other characters’ comments about them, both in this section and those following. 

Throughout this section, Nick and Coby joke, sympathize, play soccer, and play pranks on one another. Even when they aren’t listening to each other (as in “You Want to Talk to April, but Coby’s Mind Is on the Dallas Cup”), they have a comfortable rapport from their years of friendship. Coby also shows support for Nick’s grief over his parents and his insecurity over April.

The cafeteria fight with the Eggleston twins, however, challenges Coby and Nick’s friendship. Nick daydreams about fighting the bullies with tae kwon do and his in-depth knowledge of the dictionary—he imagines that his skills are more like superpowers. Nick does not act on these dreams of bravery, though. In the poem “Do-Over,” the circling ceiling fan above Nick mimics the regrets turning around and around in his mind, wishing he “woulda swooped down / on them jokers / like a vulture / instead of just circling above [...]” (107). This poem, consisting of short poetic lines, also forms a single sentence ending in a question mark, reflecting Nick’s restless, confused mind.