Quote: Passionately defended by Jen Sookfong Lee (End of East), Fruit made it to the final two in CBC’s 2009 Canada Reads. If you missed this exciting week, and/or know little about Fruit by Brian Francis, I can say unequivocally that is is it a delightful read, and at no time inauthentic.

Written in the first person, this novel, set in the early 1980’s, makes us privy to Peter Paddington’s immediate thoughts, most especially the fantasy world he inhabits: his cherry-sized nipples, which pop out and talk to him, despite his attempts to shut them up with masking tape; the telepathic messages he sends to people; the bedtime “movies” he creates to lull himself to sleep.

An overweight 13 year-old Peter is ridiculed at school, especially by the “Bangers”. He spends his recess breaks as a library assistant, and eats lunch at home with his hormonal mother.

Peter would love to make his dad happy by participating in sports and making friends, but mild-mannered Dad is unwilling to accept Mom’s insistance that there isn’t anything wrong with their boy. Yet, it is Dad who signs the papers so that Peter can take Home Ec instead of Shop.

Then there is neighbour Daniela, an unattractive girl who wets the bed, swears an awful lot, and wants to be a beauty queen. Peter comes to realize that he isn’t any more socially acceptable than she is. And while Peter doesn’t appear to realize he is gay -- despite his dressing up to perform as Olivia Newton John, or pouring over the men’s underwear in the Sears catalogue -- the reader certainly does. He keeps thinking he needs to get a “boy friend” but somehow never concatenates to “boyfriend”.

This quick read is a book any adolescent (or adult who can recall those days) will be able to identify with in some way.