Mary McKinley

This is a side story from " Beau, Lee, the Bomb and me" and you do not need to have read the latter to understand the characters in this novella, as I hadn't! Suffice to say that while making their way across the country, Beau tells his story to Rusty about growing up, his alcoholic father, realising he was gay and hiding it from his best friend and girl friend. Comic relief is provided in the stories from when he was in the ultimate loser group in scouts (aka the Hurt Patrol) and the ultimate revenge they play on the bullies from another troop. Beau 's life touches on lots of issues such as his puzzlement over a girl who has her leg's deliberately broken to make her taller instead of accepting who she is juxtaposed with his refusal to tell his girlfriend he is gay that causes her to spiral into depression because she thinks she isn't pretty enough. Reviewers of "Beau, Lee...." Have complained about the swamping of the text with teenage vernacular to the point of distraction....this is exactly the same...OMG, ROFl...seriously. But if you can get past that, the author's tale of Beau's upbringing is engaging, funny and at times, truly heartbreaking. NetGalley review… (meer)