The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen

"Carl’s self-discovery is multivariable: Infatuation. Awkward first sex. Joy. Guilt. Reprisal. He meets a boy at the start of high school who inspires him to act. The object of Carl’s affection isn’t as innocent as he lets on, which breaks Carl’s heart open to the world in ways he didn’t expect. The novel also breaks readers’ hearts open to the lives of two high school kids navigating the complexities of loves and losses. Carl’s father, a struggling dairy farmer (that’s where the cows come in), surprises as a gentle and generous figure softened by tragedies of his own. That might be why adults read YA literature – to learn the lessons we wish we’d learned in adolescence."