nothing but life:
a novel
Nominated for the 2022 White Pine Award
Teacher’s Resource Guide available here.
During a sweltering summer, Dills must come to terms with a horrific crime and the parent he loves who committed it.
Dills and his mom have returned to Hamilton, her hometown, hoping to leave the horrors of Windsor behind. But it’s impossible to escape the echoes of tragedy, and trouble always follows trouble.
When Dills hurts a classmate at his new school, it comes out in court that he was in the Windsor High library when the shooter came in. But he won’t talk about what he saw, what he still sees whenever he closes his eyes. He can’t. He definitely can’t tell anyone that the Windsor Shooter is his stepfather Jesse, that Jesse can speak into his mind from hundreds of kilometres away, and that Dills still loves him even though he committed an unspeakable crime.
what others are saying
“Capturing perfectly the tender chaos of adolescence, NOTHING BUT LIFE grabs you by the heartstrings and won’t let go. Beautifully written, satisfyingly redemptive.”
— Roz Nay, bestselling author of Hurry Home and Our Little Secret
"NOTHING BUT LIFE offers readers what the news often fails to provide in the wake of a mass shooting — what remains in the aftermath beyond sensationalism and how those affected grieve. In following a young boy and his family's journey toward healing after someone they love commits unthinkable violence, this novel sings with sorrow, yes, but also with great empathy and love."
— Anne Valente, author of The Desert Sky Before Us and Our Hearts Will Burn Us Down
"van Staalduinen has once again created an unforgettable character and voice. In Dills, he brings forth our seething, hurting unpredictability along with all of our innocence, reminding us that love is that thing which complicates us and yet also, ultimately, makes us who we are. NOTHING BUT LIFE is a gentle and yet razor-sharp look into what hurts and heals us, filled with a wisdom that permeates every sentence."
— Amanda Leduc, author of The Miracles of Ordinary Men and the forthcoming The Centaur's Wife
selected reviews
“Dills is authentic, relatable, and likeable, and readers will empathize with his struggle to get past what happened and return to normal. Staalduinen does an excellent job of capturing a teen voice and capturing Dill’s emotional and challenging journey towards healing. Supporting characters such as the sympathetic probation officer and his hacker aunt round out the story. Readers will be entirely along for the ride with Dills as he searches for a path to healing.”
— Starred review from the Canadian Children’s Book News
“… takes a unique look at a different perspective in the aftermath of a school shooting—that of the family of the perpetrator. Well-balanced with doses of humour, the plot and cast of characters are likely to capture and maintain readers’ interest, qualities that make it likely to be much enjoyed by the target audience."
— Recommended review from the Canadian Review of Materials
Click to watch the announcement ceremony for the White Pine Award!
click here to read the interview!
with grateful acknowledgment of granting support from:
