Young Adult Literature without Apology
Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.
Realistic | Romance | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery
Klass, David (2005). Dark Angel. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 0374399506. 320 pages.
Jeff is an average 17 year old: he does passably well at school, is on his soccer team's second string, and has been dating the same girl for about four months. The secret to Jeff's success: he knows it's never a good idea to stand out or make waves; he's fine just coasting along at "average". When Jeff's parents reveal that his older brother has been released from prison and will be returning home to live with the family, Jeff knows that his nice, normal life is about to fall apart. As news of Jeff's brother's crimes leak in the community, Jeff loses his girlfriend and finds himself increasingly distanced from his soccer team cronies. After an argument on the soccer field, one of Jeff's teammates disappears and, when his bloodied van is discovered at the Canadian border, everyone assumes the worst--even Jeff. Jeff's parents believe so strongly in their first son--in his rehabilitation and his current innocense--how can Jeff convince them that his brother has not changed and that, if anything, he's become more devious? Klass's novel is suspenseful and questioning; issues of absolute innocense and guilt are challenged in complicated ways as we--along with Jeff--consider and re-consider our opinions of his deftly drawn and mercurical brother.The very well realized southern Jersey shore setting (the first scene in the novel is set in Seaside Heights!) gives this novel some limited regional appeal. This might be a good title to relate to current events (did Ted Bundy have any relatives?) or just to summarize; the premise alone is intriguing enough to sell the title.
