The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

Jack screwed up. He knows it. He shouldn't have left the party like that, he was drunk and confused. When someone stopped to offer him a ride, he should have said no - it's your own fault, Jack. He never expected Freddie Horvath to do what he did, never expected things to go so wrong. Freddie did something to his brain. But Jack escapes, and everything is going to be fine. But it isn't fine, and his best friend Connor knows it. He insists that Jack take his revenge. If he won't tell the police, then at least he needs to face up to this guy. Then they'll go away to England for the summer like they planned, and get away from all the drama. But everything goes wrong ...

Jack goes to England first, with Connor set to follow a few days later. On his arrival, he first meets Henry - the one with the glasses. There is something strange in the lenses. Did he see? No, it couldn't be. It's just Jack's messed up brain. Freddie did something. When Henry makes a gift of the glasses, he says something strange. He tells Jack that he knows him. Looking through the lenses, Jack takes his first trip to Marbury.

It's so unlike everything he knows. He and a few other boys are on the run from the Hunters and Harvesters (a barbarian horde, and flesh-eating beetles, respectively) in a wasteland of death and decay. Jack starts to remember things about this place, and the boys don't seem surprised to see him. He actually seems to be the leader of this motley bunch. He's responsible for Griff and Ben, he has to take care of them.

Suddenly arriving back in England, Jack gets sick. What is going on? Was that other place real? Is this just more crap that is happening because of Freddie? You brought this on yourself. The longer he stays away from Marbury, the sicker he gets. It's an addiction. He's lost time ... hours, sometimes days pass. He met a girl while he was gone, and she actually likes him. He has to get it together. Connor is meeting him soon, he won't be able to pull this crap for much longer.

Recommended for older teens due to the graphic, sometimes gory nature of the story. There is a good deal of cursing (although it feels very authentic to me, as I spend a good deal of time with actual teens), some drinking, and some sex. Very imaginative story, love the fact that his life keeps going while he's "on the other side," and it explores some ideas about male friendship that I liked.

"'It's Thursday, Jack. We just got back from St. Atticus School. Thursday.' He held the end of his tie up between two fingers. I remembered Wynn insisting we wear ties when we visited his old school. 'We were going to change out of these things and go out.'
Three days.
I didn't look up.
What the fuck happened to three days?
'Something's wrong with me, Con.'
The nausea. I stood up, ran past Connor. I dropped to my knees at the toilet and began puking my guts out.
Freddie Horvath did something to my brain.
There's nothing I can do about it.
I don't want to do anything about it.
Fuck you, Jack," (Smith pg. 162, 2010).

*Library Link*

If you like this, check out:
Ghost Machine by Andrew Smith
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Smith, Andrew. (2010). The Marbury Lens. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends.