From the Booklife (Publishers Weekly) Grand Prize winner, comes an ambitious contemporary, upper YA novel.
Seventeen years old. Rich. Hot. Captain of the Drone War team. Head prefect of a surreally elite boarding school. Tremmy is dying.
His illness strips everything from him—including the support of his teachers and friends who once nurtured his bright future. Worst of all, his best friend's meteoric rise has come at the expense of Tremmy's spectacular fall. Far from going out with the bang he'd hoped for, Tremmy faces betrayal.
But his illness has the power to expose the best as well as the worst of his school, his friends, and himself. Tremmy sets out to prove that the community he loves has to overcome its fear of death in order to truly begin to live. And Tremmy receive the momentous end he so fervently desires.
Trigger Warnings: Although Young Adult, this novel is recommended for ages 16+ due to profanity, mature themes, and sexuality. It contains subjects such as suicide, death, illness, medical assistance in dying, sexual assault, and racism. I approach these subjects with sensitivity and careful research, but they are part of the story.
"Stewart's rendition of high school life is so honest and realistic, and his characters so complex, that readers are sure to see aspects of themselves in these pages. The book offers a unique, well-paced, and darkly comedic coming-of-age story with a sometimes-unlikable narrator at its center. Along the way, Stewart even explores the option of assisted suicide for people with terminal illnesses with no chance of survival. Indeed, there's no shying away from themes of death in this story; Tremmy even has a habit of writing obituaries for everyone he knows. In this way, the book asks an intriguing question: Is thinking about one's mortality unhealthy and morbid—or just a part of becoming an adult? An offbeat tear-jerker with a sense of humor and a call to action." — Kirkus Reviews.
"This notable novel is reminiscent of a John Green book. The writing and pacing are superb, the characters are totally believable, the humour is outstanding and the plotline fires on all cylinders beginning to end." CM Reviews — Highly Recommended
"Tremendous Sinclair's expiration is truly momentous, as is Michael F. Stewart's telling of it." CanLit for Little Canadians.
