From Booklist
Gr. 9-12. Fans of Oates' previous YA books will want to read this book, which, like Freaky Green Eyes (2003), is written in fragmented sentences meant to create a conversational effect. Sixteen-year-old Darren Flynn is a good-looking "guy's guy," a junior on the swim team, but he is uncomfortable with his maturing body and with girls. Darren believes men watch him, too, something that both disgusts and excites him. A seemingly innocent encounter with his English teacher, Mr. Tracy, troubles Darren. There are rumors Tracy is gay, and after the teacher flunks one of Darren's teammates, some boys retaliate, implicating Tracy in child porn. Tracy, who insists he is innocent, appeals to Darren for help. Teens will be drawn into the story, wanting to know if Darren is gay and if he will vouch for his teacher. But Oates loses control of her plot by dividing her attention among too many issues--sexual orientation (there's even a scene in which Darren has sex with a college girl), personal responsibility, and betrayal--and the ethical debate becomes too muddied to follow. Readers may come away as confused as Darren is by the close of the novel. Cindy Dobrez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Kirkus Reviews
"A deftly written page-turner."

Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Raises thought-provoking questions."

ALA Booklist (boxed review)
"Fans of Oates’ previous YA books will want to read this."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"Touching and believable. An unusually sensitive and sympathetic assessment."

Horn Book Magazine
"Palpable and compelling."

Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Raises thought–provoking questions."

BookPage
"Fine young adult literature."

Kirkus Reviews
"[A] deftly written page–turner."

School Library Journal
"A compelling story. The characters are well drawn. Sure to be a popular title."

KLIATT
"With terse prose, she draws readers into the awakening consciousness of the teenage mate."

Book Description
It was in November, a Thursday after swim practice. The thing with Mr. Tracy, Darren's English teacher.
The thing was how Darren would think of it, afterward.
The thing that was vague and not-named.
The thing that hadn’t happened, anyway. Darren Flynn has the perfect life -- until that day in November. After that day, after what happened (did it happen?), life is different. Darren is different. Nothing is as it was –– before. His friends, his family, even the people who are supposed to be in charge are no longer who Darren thought they were. Who can he trust, now?

This compelling, masterfully written novel by acclaimed author Joyce Carol Oates explores one teenager's search for identity in a complex, deceiving world, and the answers he finds in the most unexpected places.

About the Author
Joyce Carol Oates is a recipient of the National Book Award and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction. She has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, including the national bestsellers We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde, which was nominated for the National Book Award. She is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Princeton University and has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1978. In 2003 she received the Common Wealth Award for Distinguished Service in Literature and the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement.

ANNOTATION

Sixteen-year-old Darren Flynn, a popular, good-looking high school athlete who lacks self-confidence, learns that his jock friends are hatching a revenge act against their English teacher for failing a member of the swim team.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Darren Flynn has the perfect life - until that day in November." "After that day, after what happened (did it happen?), life is different. Darren is different. Nothing is as it was - before. His friends, his family, even the people who are supposed to be in charge are no longer who Darren thought they were. Who can he trust, now?" This novel explores one teenager's search for identity in a complex, deceiving world, and the answers he finds in the most unexpected places.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

As she did in Freaky Green Eyes, Oates once again explores the link between sexuality and aggression as she delves deep inside a vulnerable 16-year-old's psyche. Structured in short, introspective chapters, the novel unfolds entirely from the third-person point of view of shy high-school swim team member, Darren Flynn, who has suddenly turned handsome, popular and "sexy." Darren is taken aback when his usually "formal" English teacher, Mr. Tracy, acts overly friendly one afternoon, gives Darren a ride home from school and asks the teen to address him by his first name. Darren tells himself that the incident means "nothing," but becomes more uneasy when the English teacher gives him a higher grade for the semester than he deserves. Meanwhile, some fellow swimmers who did not fare as well in English hatch a plot against Mr. Tracy that involves fabricating lies about him being a gay child molester. The boys' lies have a snowball effect, threatening Mr. Tracy's career. Rather than delineating the lines between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, Oates uses the uncertain teen's viewpoint to mine the gray area, inviting readers to draw their own conclusions about the events. The author's open ending, in the aftermath of a tragedy, raises thought-provoking questions about whether Darren is a hero or a coward and whether the tragedy has changed his perception of the world. Ages 14-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Oates has produced another novel with a compelling story line and a complex protagonist. Darren Flynn is incredibly good-looking, but isn't quite sure how to handle all the admiring attention he receives from females and males alike. In addition, his teachers and swimming coach remark consistently on his untapped potential and the way he holds himself back both in the pool and in his writing, and Darren knows this to be true. The teen's hardscrabble rural New England lifestyle is juxtaposed with the professional, well-off families of his friends. As in Big Mouth and Ugly Girl (HarperCollins, 2002), Oates takes an ambiguous and uncomfortable incident with a male teacher and allows the story to unravel through rumor and innuendo into a horrible climax. Here, a retaliatory attack on the man's character by some disgruntled students careens out of control and has deadly consequences. The characters of family and friends are well drawn but the star is the protagonist, and Darren's authenticity shines through. The male-centered, first-person narrative and athletic allusions make this novel appealing to reluctant male readers. This is sure to be a popular title and is great for sparking discussion, even though the explicit language and subject matter may be problematic in some schools.-Courtney Lewis, Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School, Kingston, PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews