How do I put this book into words?
I'm not going to give my typical review of 2 pros & 2 cons because it wouldn't even be worth it. I finished this book in a day and a half , probably the only great thing it had going for it was Ariel & Joaquin Dorfman's writing style. I really enjoyed the way things were described and when the main character is riding his bike, things around him are being told in almost a poetic way.
While the outline of the book had the potential of being developed into a great story, I found it very pieced together. For me, it basically jumped from one issue to the next then back to the original issue. There was not a good transition between scenes and the book lacked balance within the characters. I, also found the relationship between Heller and Salim a bit odd at times. Salim runs his hand on 15 year old Heller's arm, face, & hair, therefore making the obvious decision to go to a bar with this creepy man and sling back a few drinks the smart one?
I love mystery books but I felt like this book had an unintentional mysterious element to it and it never was solved. I believe that if this book was better thought out and more developed then it could potentially be better than it was. If you wanna read it, by all means do so because it was a quick read but if you have another book you wanna read then read that one first! ( )

Sixteen-year-old Heller works at "Soft Tidings" a New York company that delivers news with a personal touch. He rides around the city on his bike; in preperation for the Tour de France; delivering bad news to good people. When Heller gets some bad news of his own he reconsiders his life and the people around him.The flashy cycling in this book is sure to catch a teens eye and the unusal characters and plot draw the reader in as they experience a New York summer on the back of a speeding bike. ( )

You hear a knock at the door. Moving over to open it, you call out “Who’s there?” A soft voice on the other side answers back, “Soft Tidings.” Turning the lock you see the Rollerbladed messenger from the telegram company that prides itself on not only delivering the message, but telling you the message. Soft Tidings is the company that delivers the “news with a personal touch.”

16 year old Heller Highland is the best at delivering the heartbreaking messages. He bikes over to Durim Rukes’ apartment to let Mr. Rukes know his wife and two daughters escaped from Albania, but were killed in a boating accident off the coast of Italy. When he told Salim Adasi that his girlfriend was marrying another man, Heller never expected that Salim would become his confidant. When he told Mrs. DuVois that her husband passed away, Heller never expected that she would attempt to seduce him. When he attempted to tell Mrs. Martinez her husband suffered a sudden heart attack, Heller never expected that Silvia, his long time crush, would open the door to the messenger bringing news of her father’s demise. If Heller’s not careful, he might be delivering a soft tiding to his own heartbreak.

Improbable situations and circumstances propel the plot onward, much like Heller’s out of control bicycling. New York City Residents will have little sympathy for the teen bike messenger who cares little for others, especially since the Dorfmans delight in having Heller inconvenience all pedestrians. Child antiscs soon wear thin, especially with Highland’s apparent tendency to believe that somehow his pain is worse than those to whom he delivers tragic messages. As the narrative progresses, the unsatisfying emotional thread morphs into a trite and unexplained parental neglect. However, as the adults in the story flitter across the rainbow of diversity and land neatly in stock character trap, the poor emotion resonance and dull narrative make greater sense. Perhaps realizing Heller’s motivation for biking would provide greater connection and depth with the story, but that seems highly improbable. In fact, his hero won the Tour de France only after the top three finishers were disqualified.

Instead of this, try a Stotan by Chris Crutcher, Inexcusable byChris Lynch, or Sloppy first by Megan McCafferty. ( )