Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi

Summary: Scott Ferdowsi has a track record of quitting. Writing the Great American Novel? Three chapters. His summer internship? One week. His best friends know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but Scott can hardly commit to a breakfast cereal, let alone a passion.

With college applications looming, Scott's parents pressure him to get serious and settle on a career path like engineering or medicine. Desperate for help, he sneaks off to Washington, DC, to seek guidance from a famous professor who specializes in grit, the psychology of success.

He never expects an adventure to unfold out of what was supposed to be a one-day visit. But that's what Scott gets when he meets Fiora Buchanan, a ballsy college student whose life ambition is to write crossword puzzles. When the bicycle she lends him gets Scott into a high-speed chase, he knows he's in for the ride of his life. Soon, Scott finds himself sneaking into bars, attempting to pick up girls at the National Zoo, and even giving the crossword thing a try--all while opening his eyes to fundamental truths about who he is and who he wants to be.

Pages: 329

Release Date: February 6th, 2018

Rating: 4/5 Star

Review:

Down and Across follows Scott, a rising high school senior who has a summer internship that does not interest him. He is known to start something and lose interest fast. After discovering the research of a Georgetown professor on 'grit', he decides to travel to D.C. and enlist her help on fixing his lack of 'grit.' Along the way he meets a girl that helps him change his outlook on life and hi-jinks ensue. Down and Across is Arvin Ahmadi's debut novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. He perfectly captured some of the pressures put on high school students and I deeply related to the novel. I highly recommend reading it, especially if you are entering your senior year, and I am excited to read Arvin's future publications.

I wish Down and Across had been published a few months prior to its release date. It was published during the end of my senior year of high school and unfortunately I was unable to read it until after I graduated. I feel like a majority of teens and high school students can relate to Down and Across. Students are pressured during high school to know what they  want to do and who they want to be. Like Scott, I barely knew what I wanted to eat for lunch, let alone what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. During my senior year, I had created a picture of where and who I wanted to be for the next four years, but that plan was uprooted by college admissions decisions. It was a difficult time for me, I though my senior year was the year everything would fall into place, but nothing came out the way I had originally planned. While there are portrayals of other "confused" teens in YA fiction, I feel like a majority of YA characters already have their life path picked out for themselves. I commend anyone who knows their life goals that far in advance, but it is nice to relate to others that are not as knowledgeable about he future. I only wish my past self could have had this novel to think about during the rough patches of senior year.

While I related to Scott's self-doubt and confusion, I did not take Scott's route by ditching an internship and traveling to D.C. I related to Scott and enjoyed his character; however, I did not always approve of his choices. I do think that he grew substantially in D.C. and I would not recommend others to take that route, but I do not think he necessarily needed Fiora to grow. I did not find Fiora to be that beneficial to him. She was a bad influence and got him into more trouble than good. Her character was not completely unlikable, I did find her interesting, but I did not like her endangerment of Scott. While they were close in age, he is still an underage teenage boy that is wandering around D.C. without his parents even knowing he left Philly. I found Fiora to be cliche character in general. She is the female character that allows the male character to discover his full potential. I think her purpose in the story could have been minimized.

One of my favorite components of Down and Across was its setting. The District of Columbia is one of my favorite places and I absolutely loved the inclusion of it. I discovered more cool hangout spots and learned more about the universities in the area. Through the descriptions, I felt as though I was in D.C. It was such an enjoyable part of the story. While I may not have always approved of the characters' actions, I enjoyed the settings and wherever they chose to take their antics. 

Overall Down and Across was a relatable novel that I would definitely recommend to high school students or recent graduates. The characters were enjoyable, but sometimes infuriating; however, I did enjoy their journey. I might be biased, but the setting was perfect, I love D.C. I enjoyed Arvin's debut and I am excited to see what he publishes next.