Penetrating in particulars, extensive in scope, this is a triumph…
Peet makes his foray into literary fiction with this Intense and haunting debut marked with memorable characters, sparkling prose, and a brilliantly conceived story. After his mother’s tragic death, Daniel Wright is content to live with Terrence Haight, Daniel’s mother’s friend and the only son of the town’s only family of color, in the shambolic hillside community of Jackass Flats, but instead becomes the adopted son of the privileged Redmond family. Daniel’s understated revulsion toward his adopted father and his adopted brother Eric Redmond’s fiercely rebellious nature helps construct an unbreakable bond between the boys that carry them through their disconcerting growing years. Peet portrays the individual stories of his characters’ sad, ugly lives, a result of their failed dreams with nuance and grace. Infused with complex themes of racial issues and identity crisis, the novel makes for a mind-blowing read.
