My Fathers Scar: A Novel [Paperback]

Michael Cart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1998

Eighteen year-old Andy Logan has finally made it to his first year og college, but not without some struggle. As he tries to settle in this new environment, he cannot help but recall the events and experiences that have led him there.

It is in these recollections that we meet a vast array of people--those who had either helped Andy along the way or had threatened his hope to escape. These are the stories of his hope to escape. These are the stories of his great-uncle, the one person who seemed to understand him; his father, who domineering presence and unwavering anger were the rules, not the exeptions; and Evan, an older boy who became his first true love.

Rarely does a writer capture the essence of the journey from a child to adult so acutely. Cart's dazzling novel is a potent reminder of the pain and the euphoria that come from growing up and how we remember our family, friends, and first loves.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

(It is Booklist policy that a book written by a regular columnist be given a brief descriptive announcement rather than a full review.)

Gr. 7^-12. As he enters his first gay relationship, college freshman Andy Logan recalls key incidents in his life when he was growing up a lonely boy with an alcoholic, abusive father and an ineffectual mother in a homophobic community. Sally Estes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Andy Logan is a college man recalling his childhood and the formative incidents of his teenage years, when he was isolated from both family and peers by his weight, his intellect, and his love for books. He discovers running and conquers the weight problem-- but knows he'll never please his bullying, alcoholic father. When an older boy, Evan, whom Andy deeply admires, comes out, the swift and brutal reaction of the townspeople reveals the depth of their anti-gay prejudice. Andy can't go public about his own homosexuality, but he suffers from hiding his true self. Andy's growing awareness of his gayness is handled well, with action and dialogue revealing to readers what Andy hasn't fully recognized in himself. Cart's first novel does a good job of characterization, lifting the book beyond the category of a problem novel, although Evan's coming-out scene isn't quite credible (the reaction of the community is). The emotionally satisfying conclusion wraps up a sensitive tale. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (February 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031218137X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312181376
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #929,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book filled with life's honesty, passion and brutality!, May 3, 2001

By 

D. Litton (Wilmington, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Fathers Scar: A Novel (Paperback)

It's novels like "My Father's Scar" that are the most moving to me. In reading from front to back in a single day, I found myself captivated by its masterful storytelling, its heightened yet subtle suspense, and the ways in which it works its reader with its sudden twists and turns, while never losing focus on the themes and lessons of life that it embodies in its main protagonist.

Andy Logan is a freshman in college plagued by memories of his childhood and development into a man; some of these memories are painful, while others provide him a glimpse into happier times that shaped his life in a positive manner. There are memories of his father and grandmother, both tyrannical and unrelenting, his mother, who has no choice but to side with his father, his uncle, whose vast interest in books sparks an interest in young Andy's mind, and Evan, the sole homosexual to come out in the entire town, but not the sole homosexual to reside there.

Evan becomes a pinnacle of fascination for Andy, which seques into feelings of love and wanting once Andy realizes what these feelings are. There experiences Evan goes through will shape his and Andy's life, and Andy will come to realize, right up to the novel's poignant ending, that there is a fine line between love and hate that sometimes goes unseen.

I valued the many nuances of this novel not for its simplicity, but for its ability to tell a story in such an involving way. Author Michael Cart uses present participles to tell the present-day sections of the story, while the memories of Andy's childhood and teenage years are told using past participles, enhancing the fact that these are experiences that have already happened as opposed to going on at that moment. This brings us more into Andy's mind as he takes his own, sometimes unavoidable, trips down memory lane.

And simple the novel is not, by no means. The writing may seem a step down from the throes of Hawthorne and Shakespeare, but it certainly does not take on a juvenile feel. The phrases and the syntactical elements used by Cart are marvelous in their underlining of the feelings Andy goes through during his childhood. Cart especially pays close attention to the feelings of the boy, as well as the relationships, be it friendship or boyhood love, with such devotion to the feelings and emotions that anyone, gay or straight, can relate to.

Cart must also be praised for his ability to hide the identity of the ending, keeping us at bay as to whether or not it will end on a high or low note. There are small hints which lead us to believe that either avenue is possible, and these will continue until the very last pages, leading us to an ending that (without giving it away) remains true to the rest of the material and is completely satisfying.

For me to be able to read this book as fast as I did is the mark of a truly interesting and satisfying read for me. I loved the characters of this novel and could relate to them on so many different levels. I wanted Andy to find the love he had been wishing for; I wanted to see him taken away from the oppression of his childhood, and while he was able to escape it physically, the novel examines the fact that, emotionally, there is no escape from our past.

"My Father's Scar" is a novel that has the look and feel of a teenage romance and coming-of-age story, but underneath everything, there is a powerful and complex message which rings true for people of all genders and orientations. The themes are well-presented and easily understood, while the characters are people we can care about and identify with in different ways. I loved this novel!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wings Make This Book Fly, December 8, 1999

By 

Robert Burtcher (The Woodlands, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Father's Scar (Hardcover)

My Father's Scar is a wonderful dive into the mind of Andy Logan. He reaccounts his past, which is a mix of subtle humor, fear, confusion, and love, and his present life, which has many of the same qualities. I feel that if I get into too much detail that it will give the book away, but this one is one that everybody needs to read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can relate to the Book!, April 9, 2000

By 

Matthew (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Fathers Scar: A Novel (Paperback)

This is an exceptional book. I felt bad when it ended, as I wanted to read more, and would love to talk to the author in person. I could totally relate to the author, as I had a VERY similar upbringing, and found my first love to be someone that I was working with in a church setting! Awesome book..a good read for mature YA readers!