by David Clark
My cousin is a friend of this author so I was offered a free copy to review. The majority of this "Mormon" novel tells the story of several months in the life of the protagonist at 11-years-old, with a few* "flash-foward" moments when he is 40-something.
The details of growing up in Mesa, AZ in 1981 are funny (and presumably semi-autobiographical), though I'm not sure if that's because I was also 11-years-old and living in Mesa in 1981, or if they will resonate with anyone my age. However, I think just about any grown man will be able to relate to Todd's feelings and predicaments. It's very real. (There is a fair bit of "language," crude humor and "locker-room-talk" that I suppose are "normal" for guys, but made me a little uncomfortable.)
There are also very moving moments that brought me to tears. The story is fairly compelling, and the writing is pretty good for a first-time novelist.
Recommended for: Men who came-of-age in the last half-century, especially the 80's
* The flash-forward moments interspersed throughout the novel are a little disjointed, probably because they are very brief (averaging half a page) and only occur every few chapters, which was a little disappointing for me since those are the parts I enjoyed the most. I felt like they might have been more effective combined and then used as a prologue and/or epilogue.
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