Theo is not the kind of person to look you in the eye when you’re speaking to him. It’s mostly because of his unique gift – he sees numbers in each person’s eyes and it scares him. When he was younger he noticed a number in his dad’s eyes which kept getting lower day by day. When it reached zero, Theo didn’t know what might happen, but his father was killed that day in a traffic accident. That’s when he knew his ‘gift’ was actually a curse.

He took to wearing sunglasses and playing online games. His one friend was Ally, his next-door neighbour. Her dwindling number eventually meant that she was moving away, out of his life, not dying. Theo was relieved, but still disturbed, and considered suicide. His mum encouraged him to get help with his mental health, where he met Jude Johnson. Theo dubbed him ‘Hey-Jude’. Their clinical relationship morphed into friendship. Theo flirted online with a gamer who he thought was a guy. When they eventually met, he found Lil was a girl. She told him that gender didn’t matter when it came to liking someone, and he surprised himself by finding he agreed. Together they explored a sexual awakening and, with Hey-Jude’s help, Theo accepted the numbers he kept seeing.

Thematically, Counting Down with Theodore Brown covers a lot – from same-sex attraction, prejudice, suicide ideation and breaking down gender barriers. There are also the references to music to savour. This is a terrifically unique premise, delivered expertly.

Reviewed by Bob Moore
Age Guide 14+

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniel Devenney was born in Donegal, Ireland. He has been a passionate bookseller in Aotearoa New Zealand for over a decade and currently works at Unity Books. He lives in Auckland with his fiancé. When he’s not reading or writing, he’s probably listening to Dolly Parton or rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Counting Down with Theodore Brown is his debut novel.

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Read more about Counting Down with Theodore Brown on the Allen & Unwin site