If I Fall If I Die A Novel Author:Michael Christie A heartfelt and wondrous debut about family, fear, and skateboarding, that Karen Russell calls "A bruiser of a tale . . . a death-defying coming-of-age story." — Will has never been outside, at least not since he can remember. And he has certainly never gotten to know anyone other than his mother, a fiercely loving yet wildly eccentric agoraphobe... more » who panics at the thought of opening the front door. Their world is rich and fun- loving?full of art, science experiments, and music?and all confined to their small house.
But Will?s thirst for adventure can?t be contained. Clad in a protective helmet and unsure of how to talk to other kids, he finally ventures outside.� At his new school he meets Jonah, an artsy loner who introduces Will to the high-flying freedoms of skateboarding.� Together, they search for a missing local boy, help a bedraggled vagabond, and evade a dangerous bootlegger.� The adventure is more than Will ever expected, pulling him far from the confines of his closed-off world and into the throes of early adulthood, and all the risks that everyday life offers.���
In buoyant, kinetic prose, Michael Christie has written an emotionally resonant and keenly observed novel about mothers and sons, fears and uncertainties, and the lengths we?ll go for those we love.