Being twelve (almost 13) can be a trying time for any kid.
Fortunate in some ways, Jack is top in his class in school
in Virginia and lucky enough to live in a house close to a
wooded area with a creek where he has the freedom to roam
at will. Yet, for all the free spirit air of 1967, Jack
has more than his share of problems. His dad is
unemployed, his brother, Stan, is a hot-tempered long
haired hippie, and he is a Witcher! A family his town
considers the lowest of the worse white trash in the
neighborhood.
Yet, for all his hardships, Jack is full of hope and
almost unconscious wisdom beyond his years. With all the
earnestness of the young, he is madly in love with a Myra,
a smart and lovely girl in his class. He is desperate to
win a kiss from her or even to get to hold her hand. But,
now events and social class are conspiring against him.
Myra is a Joyner, one of the richest kids in town and when
her brother, Gaylord, disappears, how can he even get near
her? The town seethes with whispers that Jack's brother is
involved. Is there anyone who can help him?
When I first started reading, Stephen Wetta's debut novel,
I thought it would be an interesting read, however, I
didn't expect it to be as riveting and thought provoking as
it turned out to be. While based in the deep prejudices of
the American south, Jack's story and love for Myra is both
totally unique, yet universal in appeal in touching deep
emotions and resonating with the reader. Wetta has an
amazing ability to take seemingly stereotypical characters
and refining them with a quality jeweler's touch to pull
out every filigree and nuance, so they are as achingly raw
and realistic as if you are encountering them as Jack would
and does.
This story is sure to end up as a classic! I do hope that
we will have more exceptional stories from Wetta in the
future! This is a coming of age story that is not to be
missed!
A Crime in the Neighborhood, told with the deadpan humor of
Nick Hornby-a wonderful novel about a boy genius whose
brother may, or may not, be a murderer.
It's 1967. Jack Witcher is a twelve-year-old boy genius
living in a Virginia suburb at an address the entire
neighborhood avoids. Jack's father has lost his
job-again-and he's starting fights with other fathers.
Jack's mother, sweet but painfully ugly, works as a cashier
at a local market. Jack's older brother is a long-haired,
pot-smoking hippie.
If all of that isn't bad enough, Jack's brother suddenly
becomes the main suspect in the disappearance of the town's
golden boy. And to make matters even worse, Jack is in love
with the missing boy's sister, Myra. Mr. Gladstein, the town
jeweler and solitary Jew, is Jack's only friend; together,
they scheme to win Jack Myra's love. But to do that, Jack
must overcome the prejudices, both the town's and his own,
about himself and his family.
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