"The day I turned sixteen years old I had no idea that in four months nearly everyone I cared about would be dead," says Allen Mockery, the spunky narrator of Cadre's enthusiastic though protracted coming-of-age debut. Set in Southern California's Orange County, the novel's stylish, dark humor foreshadows a looming tragedy. At Ilium High School, chirping cell phones, sex parties and drug use are standard fare in the lives of Allen, his twin sister Echo (1600 on her SATs) and his best friend, bossy perfectionist Peggy Kaylin. Allen and Peggy are writers for the school newspaper, The Iliad. Their school spirit prompts them to become peer counselors and designated drivers at drinking bashes. But fellow students do not always appreciate their zeal, for this educational institution has a hidden subculture that its cheerleading chants (the title's inspiration) do not suggest. The darker fringes of school life include a precocious sexual predator named Carver Fringie, whose penchant for date rape ultimately threatens Echo and Peggy. Allen and Echo seek revenge by tying Carver to a chair and leaving him overnight in the school. Unfortunately, he is found by two other students who enact a more violent punishment. The ensuing chain of events propels the narrative to a harrowing, Columbine-esque denouement. The book's first half is hampered by sluggish backstory, and is often overstuffed with throwaway dialogue. But Cadre's talent shines bright in the second half, where he synchronizes pacing, dialogue and crisp characterization, bringing this darkly engaging assortment of young castaways to vibrant life, even as they face certain doom. 3-city author tour.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Cadre's first novel chronicles the adventures of the aptly named Allen Mockery as he traverses the often treacherous path of teenage life. Allen, his friends, and family are exaggerated examples of modern teens: his friend Peggy is dating her ninety-fourth boyfriend and eagerly awaiting breast-reduction surgery; his sister Molly is a nudist; and his brother Krieg is an angry, violent teenage delinquent. Cadre foreshadows disaster from the first sentence, when Allen states that "in four months nearly everyone I cared about would be dead." Allen and his four siblings have already lost both of their parents and are being raised by their negligent but benign uncle, Bobbo, in suburban California. While the extreme nature of the characters puts them in danger of becoming caricatures, when disaster does strike (in a form that has become sadly familiar in the last decade), the reader shares Allen's horror at the fates of his loved ones. Filled with frenetic energy, this coming-of-age novel is a good ride indeed. Kristine Huntley
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