Synopsis
Running away from his mother and obnoxious stepfather to live with his father, a successful surfing photographer, Jim Nichols resents his father's plans to abandon him again and sets out to prove himself by surfing in perilous waters
Reviews
Grade 9 Up An involving but flawed rite-of-passage novel. When Jim's stepfather Larry discovers that 15-year-old Jim has been sexually involved with a girl in his class, he refuses to let Jim visit his father in Hawaii. Jim runs away, using money he steals from Larry. After many adventures, including an encounter with a teenage prostitute who tries to rob him, he arrives at his father's home, only to discover that his father and his father's wife-to-be plan to move (without him) to Japan. To make his running away more than a gesture of independence, Jim imposes on himself a dangerous test of courage and skillriding the deadly coral reef surf of Hawaii. Although his initial attempt almost kills him, his persistence pays offjust as his mother arrives on the scene to witness the heroics. Finally, Jim feels as if he is his own person. And, his mother decides to break up her second marriage and live with Jim in Hawaii. Maloney's writing is engaging and colorfully descriptive in the details of the landscapes and seascapes and the ins and outs of surfing. However, except for Jim, characterizations are too one-sided for credibility; Larry is not only a clumsy, overweight oaf but also a religious fundamentalist and a bigot, while Jim's father is cool, honest, upfront, liberal, handsome, etc. Some Valley "bitchen" talk may confuse readers, Jim's explicit description of his "screwing" (a word he seems wedded to) may offend some and the too-painless resolution of Jim's family problems will be unacceptable to more discriminating readers. Nonetheless, in this first novel (winner of the Delacorte Press Prize for an Outstanding First YA Novel), Maloney's moving portrayal of Jim's journey to test and discover his limits will leave a distinct zone of impact on many teen readers seeking their own declarations of independence. Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
For this story, Maloney received Delacorte's Best First Young Adult Novel Prize. He deserves it. Jim, the hero of the novel, is natural and appealing. He's also very believable as he grapples with his emerging sexuality, clarifies his artistic vision, and tries to understand his parents. He runs away from his mother and wimpy stepfather to Hawaii, where his real father is a successful surfing photographer. The vehicle for Jim's journey to adulthood is surfing, and his moment of truth is his entry into the heart of a treacherous wave, called the Pipeline, the "impact zone" of the title. This book is well-paced, well-written and stuffed with authentic surfing lore. Both Maloney and his book are winners.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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