''Just in Case'' is a
young-adult novel
Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...
by
Meg Rosoff
Meg Rosoff (born 16 October 1956) is an American writer based in London, United Kingdom. She is best known for the novel '' How I Live Now'' (Puffin, 2004), which won the Guardian Prize, the Printz Award, the Branford Boase Award and made ...
published by Penguin in 2006. Its
adolescent
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated w ...
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
David Case spends the majority of the book attempting to avoid
fate
Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predeterminism, predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often used interchangeably, the words wiktionary ...
. Rosoff won the annual
Carnegie Medal, recognising the year's best children's book published in the U.K.
[ In a press release announcing the award, the librarians called it "a story about death, depression, sex, choice and survival."][
''Just in Case'' also won the German Jugendliteraturpreis and made the shortlists for the ]Booktrust Teenage Prize
The Booktrust Teenage Prize was an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize was administered by Book Trust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading. The Booktrust Teenage Prize was last awarded ...
and the 2006 Costa Book Awards
The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...
.
Random House
Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
(Wendy Lamb Books) published the first U.S. edition, also in 2006.[
]
Plot summary
The book is set in Luton
Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census.
Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
"Just in Case"
. Discussion with fans. Meg Rosoff. where fifteen-year-old David Case saves his younger brother from falling out of an open window. Scared by the experience, he starts to see danger everywhere, believes that Fate is stalking him, and decides to change his identity in order to escape his destiny.
Fate at various points takes over the narration revealing David is right but it also lampshades that David is somewhat responsible for making things so interesting thus it’s implied fate only became actively interested after David began trying to hide. Fate seems to treat human life as a game of cat and mouse and notes David plays well.
He changes his name to Justin, adopts a new wardrobe, seeks out new friends, acquires an imaginary dog, all in the hope of avoiding Fate. His new, moody, self-absorbed persona attracts attention, not all of it good, and Fate is not fooled at all.
Fate eventually speaks to David/Justin in his head and mocks him he also reminds him that as the good the good things are also down to fate.
Eventually David’s little brother a genius realises how he set off events in motion by inadvertently giving his brother the idea of fate stalking him. He apologises to David and gets him to think of his new friends and his family and realise that all fates are connected and there is just as much chance as bad happening.
With this realisation fate loses interest in singling David/Justin and let’s him exist.
The title and David's adopted name Justin Case refer to his preparation phobia
A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by an irrational, unrealistic, persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected ...
.
Translations
* . Translated by Luc Rigoureau. Vanves: Hachette. 2007. .
* . Translated by Jenny de Jonge. Amsterdam: Pimento. 2008. .
* . Translated by Helena Ridelberg. Stockholm: Brombergs Bokförlag. 2008. .
* . Translated by Alessia Donin. Rome: Fanucci. 2010. .
* . Translated by Zoltán Pék. Budapest: Európa. 2014. .
* . Translated by Fabiana Colasanti. Rio de Janeiro: Galera Record. 2014. .
See also
References
External links
* —immediately, first US edition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Just In Case
2006 British novels
2006 children's books
British young adult novels
Carnegie Medal in Literature–winning works
Novels set in Bedfordshire
Wendy Lamb Books books
Children's books set in Bedfordshire