I have an initial problem with Larry Watson’s book. I find it difficult to believe that any reputable doctor would take two teenage boys into his examination room to view a naked comatose female patient. That quibble aside this is a typical Larry Watson novel. Raw, unflinching, true to life.
Matthew Garth is a fatherless boy from the wrong side of the tracks who is befriended by a classmate, the doctor’s son in a small town where a doctor is held in high esteem. While treated like a member of his friend’s family he is never unaware of his place in the scheme of things. The boys indulge in the usual teenage hijinks: drinking, racing cars, and fantasizing about girls. In the end though Matthew displays remarkable maturity for a 17-year-old. Make no mistake, this is an adult novel.
Matthew Garth is a fatherless boy from the wrong side of the tracks who is befriended by a classmate, the doctor’s son in a small town where a doctor is held in high esteem. While treated like a member of his friend’s family he is never unaware of his place in the scheme of things. The boys indulge in the usual teenage hijinks: drinking, racing cars, and fantasizing about girls. In the end though Matthew displays remarkable maturity for a 17-year-old. Make no mistake, this is an adult novel.
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