But then it comes anyway” is taken into consideration. His thought process becomes clear when a line from another novel by the same author is taken into consideration, “The Space Between”, “You know the hurt is coming, but there's this reprieve just long enough to get your hopes up, to make you think that maybe, just maybe, this time you dodged it. The above quoted lines from the novel clearly indicate the longing, which Reef feels for his dead grandmother as well as his to inflict pain on others as way to relieve his own pain as well as suffering. Therefore, the protagonist of the novel, Reef also feels torn between the blissful life of the past under the care as well as the nurture of his grandmother and the present world of ugly realties where he is made to confront the harsh realities of the adult world('The First Stone”). The protagonist of the novel, Reef Kennedy, is torn between two worlds of the past and the present just like the way Matthew Arnold describes the present civilization to be torn between the two worlds in the lines, “Wandering between two worlds/ One dead and the other powerless to be born in” (Stange).

He gripped the rock, seeking its strength, and chose a target.' The above quoted lines from the book, “The First Stone” by Don Aker helps the readers to understand the theme of the novel. Opening up to someone may be way more than he can handle.1 THE FIRST STONE 'Horns Below him on Birmingham brought him back to the overpass, and he looked down at the traffic through tear-filled eyes. Until now, the no-talking thing has been working for Jace, who has kept a secret from everyone - including himself - for nearly a year. Nothing new there - no one in his family has been talking much after what happened to his older brother, Stefan. Then he meets Kate, who he thinks might be just the person to help him with his “problem.” If only he knew what to say to her. On the other hand, the fact that he’s travelling with his mother, his aunt and his nine-year-old autistic brother just about kills that bet.

The fact that he’s only days away from turning 18 and still a virgin has Jace spooked, and he figures that Playa del Carmen’s golden beaches draped with equally golden girls should increase his odds of success. Just dumped by his girlfriend, Jace Antonakos has recorded a proclamation in a notebook his English teacher made him take on his winter vacation to the Mayan Riviera: I’m going to Mexico to get laid.

The Space Between by Don Aker