Smoke and MirrorsSixteen-year-old Simon has always been considered odd. Three years ago, a skateboarding accident caused some minor brain damage and made him a little stranger. His career-driven parents mostly leave him alone, and he spends much of his time living in his imagination. When Andrea, whom no one else can see, appears to Simon in class, he is fascinated by her and strikes up a friendship, even though he knows she may be pure hallucination - he's had imaginary friends before. Andrea says she is there to "help" him, but before the story ends, Simon discovers that it is he who needs to help Andrea, not the other way around. |
From inside the book
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Page 9
... mother . " " You must be new . " " I am . " " I could have sworn that you weren't even there at the beginning of class . " " I knew it was going to be a very tedious class . So I missed the beginning of it . " She was attractive , yes ...
... mother . " " You must be new . " " I am . " " I could have sworn that you weren't even there at the beginning of class . " " I knew it was going to be a very tedious class . So I missed the beginning of it . " She was attractive , yes ...
Page 12
... mother sells real estate . It seems there is no end to these two commodi- ties . The hustling of houses and bonds goes on into the evenings and weekends by this man and his wife who more or less abandoned me , their son , many years ago ...
... mother sells real estate . It seems there is no end to these two commodi- ties . The hustling of houses and bonds goes on into the evenings and weekends by this man and his wife who more or less abandoned me , their son , many years ago ...
Page 13
... mother's favourite word in the English lan- guage is closing . " I'm closing on the Ferguson house today , " she'd say in early morning glee at the breakfast table . " I bet I'll be closing on that condo by the end of the week . " And ...
... mother's favourite word in the English lan- guage is closing . " I'm closing on the Ferguson house today , " she'd say in early morning glee at the breakfast table . " I bet I'll be closing on that condo by the end of the week . " And ...
Page 23
... mother insisted I get professional help for my " problem " ( and this was not the first time for that ) . But it turned out that the professional help was on my side . " He's just trying to get your attention , " Dr. Rickbenbacker told ...
... mother insisted I get professional help for my " problem " ( and this was not the first time for that ) . But it turned out that the professional help was on my side . " He's just trying to get your attention , " Dr. Rickbenbacker told ...
Page 27
... mother crying one time when she came into my room and thought I was asleep . I recall feeling her tears soak through my hospital gown . She said that she loved me very much and if I would only get well , she would promise to be a better ...
... mother crying one time when she came into my room and thought I was asleep . I recall feeling her tears soak through my hospital gown . She said that she loved me very much and if I would only get well , she would promise to be a better ...
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Common terms and phrases
accident Andrea asked astral projection ball bearings beach began better brain called coma crazy Dalway deep breath doctors door dream Druids eyes face father feel felt front girl gone guess hallway hand happened head hospital hurt Julian Jaynes kind knew laughed left hemisphere LESLEY CHOYCE looked Lydia marijuana meat loaf Mel Gibson mind mistletoe Montague mother moved never Occam's razor okay once Ozzie parents pills planet problems remember Ridgefield Roger Sperry satori seemed Shinar Simon sitting skateboard smiled someone sometimes sorry Star Trek stay stopped stuff Sumerians sure surfer talk tell things thought told took a deep touched tree tried Trina trying turned voice walked wanted watching waved weird window witch wondered words
Popular passages
Page 19 - Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake ; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog...
Page 9 - ... stool while he rolls about on the ground a large jar which serves as a churn and is placed on its side in order that it may more easily be rolled about to produce the agitation of the cream which results in butter. (Courtesy of the University Museum of Philadelphia) 175. Agriculture and cattle-breeding produced most of the wealth which formed the basis of Sumerian life, but there were other important sources of wealth.
Page 203 - I could tell from the look in her eyes that she did not know where she was. And she did not know who I was.
Page 124 - One source of evidence was trial by water. The unfortunate woman would be put in a pond. If she floated she was a witch. If she sank she was not. This event, the outcome of the experiment, was, by consensus, the information-as-thing needed for the identification of a witch. Nowadays it would be denied, by consensus, that the exact same event constituted the information that it had previously been accepted, by consensus, as being.
Page 67 - I would have to keep my wits about me. I would have to be more careful.
Page 128 - I did not want to go home. I couldn't bring myself to go back to school. I thought I heard someone call my name again, a nickname I hadn't heard for a long while. "Slime-on.
Page 34 - I wasn't going to be the one to break it up. I had my own problems with my right brain probably not even knowing what my left brain was doing.
Page 87 - Whatever was going on, I didn't want to be part of it. They looked very sullen. "Simon, we need to talk to you," my mother said, her voice sounding shaky.
Page 114 - She was the first girl I had ever kissed. She was the first for a lot of things, and maybe I should have apologized to Lydia and followed her.