Theories of Relativity

by Barbara Haworth-Attard

My fingers search the cardboard container, but I’ve finished the fries. I squirt ketchup on my fingers and lick it off. I’m never full. I think it was one of the reasons I had to leave, or, rather, my mother kicked me out. Jenna’s a runaway, but I’m a throwaway. Tossed out. Like garbage.

Keep your wits about you. Check your back.
Do what it takes to survive on the streets.

Dylan is living on the streets not through any choice of his own, unlike some of the teenagers he meets in the same situation. He’s been cut loose by his unstable mother, and lost most contact with his two younger brothers. He has nothing but his backpack stuffed with a few precious belongings and the homeless kids he meets. At least he has his theories. No one can take those away from him. Like how every fourth person throws him spare change; how no one does anything for anyone without a price; and how he just might be able to find a place in this complicated world.

Disturbing, gritty, painful, hopeful—this is a story of a sixteen-year-old determined to survive against all odds.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Canada, Teen, School, Read For School

231 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2003

About the author

Barbara Haworth-Attard is a native of Elmira, Ontario, presently residing in London, Ontario with her family. June 1995 saw the publication of her first junior novel, Dark of the Moon. Since then she has written twelve novels in the historical fiction, fantasy and contemporary genres for middle-grade and young adult readers. Her thirteenth book, "Forget-Me-Not" a sequel to "Love-Lies-Bleeding" has been out since this Fall 2005 from HarperCollins Canada. Henry Holt and Company released the US edition of "Theories of Relativity" in 2006. This book has also been sold to Editions Thierry Magnier of France.

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Juvenile (2010): Haunted

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Theories of Relativity" by Barbara Haworth-Attard isn't an easy book to review. Maybe because it isn't easy to read.
It's brilliantly written, the characters are fleshed-out and real, the story realistic to a painful degree. And that's what makes reading it hard. There isn't any sunshine and happiness in the story. It's sad, it's dark and it's heart-breaking. I guess it's pretty much what life on the street for a kid is like.
The author managed to capture that feeling, the despair and desolation of those that are less fortunate. That have no home, no one who cares about them, no one who wants them.

Witnessing this is uncomfortable. That's why it's so easy for most people to turn away when seeing the homeless. To look the other way and pretend we don't see. To not want to know their story - which might force us to give them understanding or sympathy.
This is what this book, Dylan's story does. It shows us the story behind the kid begging for money and sleeping in doorways. With every page we get drawn more and more into his life, his feelings and there is no way to look away and ignore it. It's uncomfortable as hell.
But also eye-opening. It forced me to examine my prejudice and ignorance to some degree. It forced me to witness a life that is far from cozy, warm and comfortable.

And how could it be with sixteen-year-old Dylan kicked out by his mom to make room for a new stepfather. After an already hard life lacking love, warmth and care he finds himself out on the street, with no one to turn to and nowhere to go. His life taught him one lesson quickly though - nothing is for free.
He lives by that rule and manages to stay fairly safe. But it's a hard life that he's living and it wears him down eventually. Then it's up to him to make the right choices - and unlike others, he still might have a chance to get out and make a life for himself.

This book is important and I feel more people should read it. It might change society, maybe make us a little kinder.

4 I-think-I-need-some-chocolate-now stars.

[Emma Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The moment I picked up this book I knew it was brilliant. Being in the YA section, it was an easy read and went by fast-too fast. The story was brilliantly written with amazing characters that are very relateable. In the end, it makes the reader think. The plot covers the lives of teens living on the street: and by the time you finish the last word your heart is yearning to help them. It definitely gives a different perspective on the lives of other people and I believe it'll change the reader for the better. A must-read!

[Laura Braga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down and I can’t wait to read this with English class and see what the students think.

[Manon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5🌟

Lecture faite dans le cadre du challenge "autrices du monde" . (Canada)

Un roman percutant, bouleversant et dérangeant sur le monde de la rue. J'aurais aimé le découvrir adolescente.

[Jacob Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for a class in middle school and remembered enjoying it, recently rediscovered it and decided to revisit it. It's raw and doesn't hold anything back, and for a teen novel it certainly doesn't sugar coat any of the issues involved. Really enjoyed it, though it's a very depressing story.

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A YA book which increasingly felt like a YA book, complete with a patronizing / lectury afterword which informs us that streets kids are actually human.

A promising beginning, but the characters became increasingly cliched. Nothing goes right for the poor lad, but maybe that was the point. Nothing goes right until you start making better decisions.

[Freya · Rating 1 out of 5]

i read this in grade 9 english class and it ruined my life

[Alissa Beaulieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je me souviens, ce roman fut le premier qui m'a réellement marqué durant mon adolescence. J'avoue que ça doit faire plus de 6 ans que je l'ai lu, mais je me rappelle à quel point je l'ai aimé et que j'ai été boulversé en même temps. Je ne sais pas ce que j'en penserais en le relisant maintenant, mais j'écris cette review avec le souvenir que j'en ai. J'espère bien me replonger dans cette lecture un de ces quatre!

[Simon Vacca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humbling piece with a thoughtful overarching message.

[Burns Cheadle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars: Highly Recommended for teens and people seeking insights into the problems of homelessness. In Theories of Relativity, the celebrated YA author Barbara Haworth-Attard brings the reader into the painfully heartbreaking world of Dylan, a sixteen year-old forced to live rough on the winter streets of an anonymous North American, presumably Canadian, city. I readily confess I have no personal experience remotely akin to that of Dylan or his companions in misery—Twitch, Jenna, and Amber—but I am aware that the author did extensive research for this book so her insights into the realities of homeless teenagers was an education for me. The story is told through Dylan's first-person perspective and that, combined with the choice of present tense for much of the text, gives the story a feeling of gritty authenticity and urgency. There is a brutal and remorseless grind to Dylan's constant struggles to remain free of the clutches of both those who would enslave him for their own enrichment, as well as those who offer help to escape the street. We are privy to occasional tableaus of the dysfunctional family Dylan can never recover and these make his daily suffering even more wrenching. As a novel intended for a young audience, there is material here—drug addiction, prostitution, violence, and liberal lashings of profanity—that some delicate minds might find shocking. This story, however, is a cautionary tale that seeks to instruct society to search for solutions to the scourge of teen homelessness and is made all the more compelling by allowing in the darkness as well as the light. There is very little of the latter, however. This is not a fairytale with a happy ending, nor should it be. In the end, I found myself caring deeply for Dylan and hoping that he ultimately triumphs by making some hard choices but that outcome is very much in question. Published in 2003, Theories of Relativity was a finalist for a Governor General's Literary Award and remains fresh and relevant two decades later.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like Theories of Relativity but I couldn't. Sixteen-year-old Dylan is the son that his mother never wanted. One day, for seemingly no apparent reason, she kicks him out, leaving him homeless in a frigid, unnamed Canadian city. Barbara Haworth-Attard paints a bleak picture of life on the streets. Because of abuse and neglect by their parents, Dylan and other teens end up starving and destitute, forced into begging, stealing, and whoring themselves to scrape together enough money to fill their stomachs or their veins. The novel works well as a social commentary; Haworth-Attard does a good job of showing how easy it is for teens to fall through the cracks. Schools, welfare cheques, social workers, charities, non-profit groups, and law enforcement are inadequate when a family is toxic to its core.

I didn't like the way this novel is written. Dylan's voice just doesn't seem authentic. His entire life fits in a backpack, but somehow he's always spouting flowery descriptions of gargoyles and mist and reading about Albert Einstein. The motif of Einstein's scientific theories and Dylan's theories of life are so artificial. This is one of those novels where the author focuses on some abject topic, then acts like a SJW and tries painfully hard to be literary...ultimately creating a work of fiction that's nothing more than obvious award bait.

Theories of Relativity is bogged down by slow pacing, a cookie cutter cast of supporting characters, and convenient plot points that are barely believable. The author inserts so many characters—the pimp, the drug addict, the pregnant prostitute, the teacher, the non-profit founder, the aspiring social worker, the deadbeat dad, the deadbeat mom, the stepdad, the half-brothers, etc.—to show the reasons how kids can end up homeless, and the many terrible ways that the lifestyle can affect them. But most of the subplots just fizzle out, like Dylan's crush on 14-year-old Jenna, an angelic beauty who ends up turning tricks to fuel her new drug habit. Or when he tries to reach out to his estranged grandfather. The most unbelievable character is Glen, tech company president and founder of an alternative school for homeless kids, who functions as Dylan's deus ex machina. Whenever Dylan seems to be rock bottom, his nerdy benefactor is there to help him out. I'm not sure which is less believable—the president of a large tech company not being a greedy sociopath, or the fact that a school teacher volunteers with him on weekends.

I agree with many of the points that the author makes. Homelessness and poverty are huge issues in society, probably even more so now than when the book was published in 2003. She also lays the majority of the blame on parents who are complete failures (though in most cases, they're just continuing a cycle of abuse). Unfortunately, the way this novel is written falls completely flat. So yes, the author is taking on an important topic, and yes, the characters are full of pathos, but literally nothing else about this novel is good.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very important fictional account of what it is like for kids to live on the streets. It explores how they got there in the first place and then how the hierarchies and gangs develop. It shows how the kids progress into prostitution and drugs in order to survive. We are told this story through the eyes of Dylan who is a smart kid and is enamored with Einstein and his theories. An epiphany happens for Dylan toward the end of the book whereby Dylan "meets" Einstein and discovers the strength to make some changes for himself. Nothing is "sugarcoated" in this book. Be prepared for rough scenes, tough language, rough situations. I am impressed with the appeal from the author, in the end notes, to the young adult readers of the book, to think about how they can solve this serious societal problem and take action.

[Ihsane · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'était une lecture obligatoire quand j'étais adolescente et en le voyant le livre dans ma bibliothèque je me suis dit que je le relirai bien.
J'aimais beaucoup ce livre étant ado mais je n'avais pas capter les thèmes du livre.
En le relisant 15 ans plus tard, j'ai eu très dur. C'était une lecture qui m'a bouleversée. Je n'avais jamais peser la densité du roman et j'ai mis beaucoup de temps pour le terminer.

Franchement, un livre génial et ça faisait longtemps un livre n'avait pas été aussi bouleversant à mes yeux.

[Briana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was really young, and it has such a special place in my heart. It's short, easy finishable in a day, but immensely sweet and emotional. I empathized with Dylan and his thoughts and experiences and I loved the plot and realism in this novel.
Really good 10/10 would recommend.

[G.J.V.S. Sohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book at least 10 years ago and I still remember it to this day. Something about the grittiness of this book has stuck with me all these years. I can still clearly imagine the world built by the author and feel the emotions he had. When I look for non fantasy fiction to date, I look for something like this.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a really solid read and it can easily bring to light a lot of things people don’t know about homelessness and the increase of homeless in urban areas. i think it lost points for me because i just didn’t like the ending all that much, but it wasn’t horrible. along with that i feel like it would have been better if i had read it at 16 or so

[Puddlesss · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not satisfying to read. It's hard, gritty, and overall disheartening. This is not about a kid on the streets getting better. This is about a kid on the streets trying not to break. It hurts, and I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Open-ended, and it doesn't tell you if things ended well or badly. I wish I got to see Dylan get some happy

[Bruce Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A realistic and moving tale of a teenage boy who chooses life on the street over his abusive family. Living on the on the edge of a world filled with drugs and prostitution, the story of his struggle to survive and search for a home resulted in this book being a named a finalist in Canada's prestigious Governor General's Award.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it was an amazing story. My only complaint is that I feel like there was a few loose ends that weren't tied up, and some of these loose ends were added, RIGHT BEFORE the book ends, but otherwise, I love this book. 10/10.

[Leslie Barrett Garel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book. It's fiction, geared to teens, but very realistic. I see many parallels to real life and to people I know. Wish there was an easy fix to the problem. Wish I could do more to help those around me in this situation or heading that way.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put the book down. Not only did I find myself caring for the main character, but also hating other characters and cheering the main character on. I did find the final chapter a wee bit short, but the ending was fitting.

[Banreet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the ending of this book left a lot of questions. Usually that’s good with books but I think it would’ve been better to continue the book or create a second book. What about Amber’s baby? Does Vulture find Dylan again? What about Dan and Joan?

[Livv · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty quick read and I enjoyed it. It was definitely difficult for me to connect to because I've never been in a situation like that nor known anyone who has, so it was eye-opening. I just wish the ending was a little more fleshed out. I'd def read a sequel to this!

[Nicole Haire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forever a book etched in my memory. I have shared this story with my oldest child in her homeschooling to show her a different side of being a teenager and learn about societal differences and what is considered a normal behavior pattern
Will always recommend

[Evonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting character and situation. Realistic descriptions. Definitely school friendly - cleaned up just enough to be useful as a class study; not so cleaned up to make it dull. A good quick read.

[Riz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written from the first person narrative of a homeless teenager, this is a very good YA book to create awareness about homelessness and the hardships faced by homeless people.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly mesmerizing, poignant look at teen homelessness and the desperation and loneliness that goes with it. It's just a shame I didn't read it until it became a text I had to teach.

[Ron Perron · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you consider how many young men and women are subjected to this life, how many are assaulted by the cold, the judgment, the abuse... a crisis that needs to be addressed.

[Puneet Gill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish, not engaging.

[Christa Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Read for the ENG4C course- some triggering subjects to be aware of, but good otherwise.