Althea and Oliver by Cristina Moracho 364 pages 9780670785391

I was not sure that I was up for another "dying teenager" book...but that is not what this book is about. Yes, Oliver has a rare illness, "Kleine-Levin Syndrome". He falls asleep for long periods of time (several weeks) and when he wakes up he has no memory of the lapsed time. This illness occurs primarily to young adolescent males.  His best friend, Althea finds it difficult to wait out these spells. Both of them come from fragmented homes. His father died while he was very young and her mother abandoned Althea with her husband.Oliver's mom insists that Oliver take part in a clinical study with the hope that he can find answers about his medical problem. He is upset about the study, how his illness will affect his senior year (and future) and also a recent discovery of a change in his relationship with Althea. He heads off to New York leaving Althea totally in the dark. Lots of angst and no pat solutions. Meaty book by a first time author.