From Publishers Weekly
"Right and wrong is a simple deal, and everybody knows it. As long as you have all the facts, right and wrong make themselves very clear to you," begins 13-year-old Earl Pryor, who narrates this tale of one life-changing week. Through Earl's first-person narration, Lynch (Freewill) lays bare the pivotal period in adolescence when the world changes from the black-and-white simplicity of childhood innocence to the gray area of adulthood. Earl may remind adult readers of Steinbeck's Lenny in Of Mice and Men: his tenderness comes through in his fierce protection of his best friend, Bobby, and 16-year-old neighbor, Louisa, as well as in his deep loyalty to his parents, but all too often he uses his size 14 feet and giant limbs to prove his point. After a scuffle at school leads to a week's suspension, the structures that Earl relies upon so heavily quickly begin to unravel; he becomes disillusioned with the Catholic church, Louisa and, in the denouement, even his parents. Some readers may have trouble trusting Earl's narration at first, but if they stay with it, they gradually observe his inner monologue marrying up with the events around him. Lynch creates a hypnotic voice ("Somebody sees me and sees a man. Somebody sees me and sees a boy. Somebody sees me not at all") in this striking chronicle of a painful transition from boyhood to manhood. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-At 13, Earl is bigger and physically more mature than the other kids in his school, and he doesn't hesitate to use violence to handle conflicts. His tough-talking father actually eggs him on and encourages him to take care of himself. The novel follows a week in the boy's life after he has been suspended from school for fighting. In a rhythmic first-person narration, Lynch gets inside the head of the type of student who exists in many schools-the misunderstood kid whose confusion and anger gets him pegged as a brute and a bully, yet hidden beneath are layers of sensitivity, vulnerability, and loneliness. Readers are privy to Earl's confused thoughts about his parents, religion, his one friend, and an older girl on whom he has a crush. During that same week, he shows the first inklings of a new understanding of the world, learning that most situations are not black and white, and right and wrong are not defined in terms of absolutes. Things come to a head when Earl spots his father with another woman. In a conclusion that seems somewhat hurried and jumps ahead in time, he is last seen adjusting to his parents' divorce and is beginning to understand himself better. While there isn't much story here, the novel successfully captures the nuances of Earl's character, and is superbly written.
Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 6-9. Thirteen-year-old Earl Pryor is big and powerful for his age (he looks so old that high-school seniors ask him to buy beer for them). That's a problem when he gets angry, which seems to happen a lot. When his classmates tease him, the girl he likes disappoints him, and his parents' marital problems get to be too much for him to handle, his anger turns to rage. What's worse, Earl never backs down from a fight, because, as his dad has taught him, a man must have respect. His fighting finally gets him suspended from school--just in time to watch his parents' fragile marriage fall apart. When he sees his dad cry, Earl realizes that human relationships are complicated, determining right from wrong isn't always "a simple deal," and he still has a lot to learn about what it means to be a man. In this testosterone-laden tale, Lynch challenges readers to consider gender stereotypes--boys don't cry; boys solve their problems with their fists--as he follows a young man's painful journey toward self-discovery. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“Lynch creates a hypnotic voice . . . in this striking chronicle of a painful transition from boyhood to manhood.” —Publishers Weekly “The novel successfully captures the nuances of Earl’s character, and is superbly written.” —School Library Journal
About the Author
Chris Lynch (b. 1962), a Boston native, is an award-winning author of several acclaimed young adult novels, including Freewill (2001), which won the Michael L. Printz Honor, and National Book Award finalist Inexcusable (2005). Lynch holds an MA from the writing program at Emerson College, and teaches in the creative writing MFA program at Lesley University. He mentors aspiring writers and continues to work on new literary projects while splitting time between Boston and Scotland.
