THE EXCHANGE STUDENT by Mark Allan Gunnells

The Exchange Student by Mark Allan Gunnells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: THE EXCHANGE STUDENT by Mark Allan Gunnells

Usually I eschew romance fiction, but THE EXCHANGE STUDENT is a different story. An alternate reality, sci-fi, finely wrought emotionally, tear jerking romance, this story carved itself into my heart and into my dreams (literally). In an alternate 2017, time travel exists. Regulated by a commission, certain applicants are allowed to visit other times, to stay with host families, under supervision of time guardians. Seventeen-year-old Trevor wants to learn firsthand about the intensifying Civil Rights Movement, so he visits 1963. Oh my! Not only does he encounter both ignorance and rampant bigotry, he experiences interpersonal relationships, dysfunctional home, and jealousy turned vengeful. He also (lucky fellow) falls deeply and permanently in love ("stoned in love," to borrow an idiom of the era). Wound up in this is a rebellious group called Revisionists who want to "fix" history by changing events, such as preventing JFK' s assassination. Sounds good, but altering historical events alters the subsequent timeline.

I really loved this emotionally wrenching story and count it a re-reader.

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