Reality Boy by A.S. King
I didn't really know what I was getting into when I selected this book this week. Gerald, the protagonist, was on a reality show, but I assumed that it was something he wanted to do, like Real World. Instead, we find out that he was on a show, the first time, when he was five. It was one of those Supernanny type shows, where someone comes to make the children and parents behave like civilized members of society. Gerald had no choice in this, but his mother made sure that he knew he was the reason they were selected for the show.
They were selected because Gerald was acting out: punching holes in walls, and defecating in various places (in shoes, on the dining room table, etc). It takes a while, but we find out that Gerald acts out because his oldest sister, Tasha, is a psychopath who tries to smother and drown Gerald and his other sister, Lisi, on multiple occasions. Gerald's mother dotes on Tasha, even though Tasha is abusive to her too. Gerald is even put in special education classes because Tasha and his mother think he is "retarded," even though he isn't.
The book takes place right around the time Gerald turns seventeen. Lisi has moved to Scotland to get away from the crazy sister and their mother who does nothing about it. Gerald's father is unhappy because he feels stuck in a marriage with a crazy woman, and in a house with his overly promiscuous oldest daughter. There are some flashbacks where the reader can see what was going on at the time of the filming for the tv show.
Gerald has a job. He works the concession stand at a sports and entertainment arena. This is where he meets Hannah. He has had a crush on her from afar because he believes that no one will ever, can ever love him. Ultimately, Hannah shows him that he is wrong.
There is so much more going on in this book, I can't cover it all here without it becoming a book itself. I enjoyed this one a great deal.
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