From a bold new novelist comes a complex tale of friendship and brutality. Set in Michigan s Upper Peninsula, U.P. is the story of four teens immersed in an ugly world, one whose threat of violence is always simmering beneath the surface. R.A. Riekki s distinctive characters and their poignant quest for freedom is a swan song to lost youth, redefining the traditional coming-of- age-story. Four boys, four distinct narratives that converge into a harrowing and heartbreaking whole.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Born in Marquette, R.A. Riekki has studied writing at Central Michigan, Brandeis, Virginia, and Western Michigan. U.P. was nominated by John Casey for the Sewanee Writers' Series.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
A Kid's Review
The situation and plot might sound like nothing new: boredom, alcohol, violence, and despair lead to tragedy in the North Woods. Coming of age for people who (probably) have no future. Carolyn Chute, David Adams Richards, and others have taken us there before. But that's not what this novel is about. It's about language that's alive. Every sentence in Riekki's book sounds like it's been screaming in his head for years -- he's got a golden ear for the way people talk and the way people _would_ talk, if they could put their real feelings into words. Open any random page, drop your finger, and you'll read something that'll surprise you. He's that good.
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
This book is fantastic. It's a novel about Michigan's near-empty Upper Peninsula that turns the stereotype of a tranquil country upbringing on its head; it's a novel about four deeply wounded young men who make fantastic, interesting, compelling, sympathetic, and frightening characters; It's funny as hell, the structure works to support the story, and the ending is absolutely incredible.
I polished this one sitting in a backwoods deer blind in northern Michigan. I read the ending again. And again as I sat in the dusk snow darkening around me.
I've rarely been so affected by a moment spent with a book.
I polished this one sitting in a backwoods deer blind in northern Michigan. I read the ending again. And again as I sat in the dusk snow darkening around me.
I've rarely been so affected by a moment spent with a book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Downbeat Coming-of-Age Story from Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.)
October 24, 2010
By stoic
VINE™ VOICE
U.P. is a novel about the tribulations of four young men on Michigan's upper peninsula. The novel has its strong points, but it could have been much better had author R.K. Riekki made some changes. In particular, the book's plot is thin and needs more development.
The novel focuses on four high-school age boys:
Craig - a would-be ladies' man,
J - who is already jaded, due in part his cerebral palsy,
antony - a rap-obsessed white kid, and
Hollow - who dreams of escaping the U.P. by joining the military.
U.P. is strong on character development. The reader comes to know each of the four young men and cheers for them to make the right decisions. Riekki also does a good job of recreating the mood of the late-80s and early-90s when the novel takes place.
However, as mentioned, U.P.`s plot is weak. Simply put, Riekki needed to give the characters more to do. Instead, the book meanders along with one scene blending into the next. The mood is bleak. (In fact, the first sentence includes "...nothing good has ever come out of the U.P."). The reader tires of the depressing tone before the book's end.
Riekki is a talented writer and U.P. is well crafted. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the four boys and the book works in spite of the complexities this introduces to the story. Unfortunately, Riekki chose to write antony's chapters using phonetic spellings as well as nonstandard punctuation and grammar. This gets old after about the first page and the reader dreads the chapters that antony narrates.
U.P.'s worth reading, but don't get your hopes too high.
The novel focuses on four high-school age boys:
Craig - a would-be ladies' man,
J - who is already jaded, due in part his cerebral palsy,
antony - a rap-obsessed white kid, and
Hollow - who dreams of escaping the U.P. by joining the military.
U.P. is strong on character development. The reader comes to know each of the four young men and cheers for them to make the right decisions. Riekki also does a good job of recreating the mood of the late-80s and early-90s when the novel takes place.
However, as mentioned, U.P.`s plot is weak. Simply put, Riekki needed to give the characters more to do. Instead, the book meanders along with one scene blending into the next. The mood is bleak. (In fact, the first sentence includes "...nothing good has ever come out of the U.P."). The reader tires of the depressing tone before the book's end.
Riekki is a talented writer and U.P. is well crafted. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the four boys and the book works in spite of the complexities this introduces to the story. Unfortunately, Riekki chose to write antony's chapters using phonetic spellings as well as nonstandard punctuation and grammar. This gets old after about the first page and the reader dreads the chapters that antony narrates.
U.P.'s worth reading, but don't get your hopes too high.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new writer shows us the dark side of the U.P. and introduces four characters we won't easily forget
November 17, 2009
U.P. is a runaway train crashing through the deep woods of the north country. An atypical coming-of-age novel, U.P. is the story of four teenagers desperate to escape the mining towns of Ishpeming and Negaunee but doomed to immersion in the violence simmering just below the surface of their Upper Peninsula communities. I could not put it down! These four characters will forever resonate in my memory. I read spellbound, silently pleading with them to drop the plan that will destroy their lives. The ending is brilliant. I read it over and over. Does Hollow make it to Boot Camp? Does J have to cross the border to escape? Do Craig and Antony jump? The ending crescendos like a full metal jacket, rock star reunion.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Ingenious ! I was tickled by the local references, but this novel transcends the novelty of that. It is brutal and graphic at times. I didn't find that to be detrimental but necessary to illustrate a culture of violence that infects our little section of the world ( but is not often spoke of ). The boys in this book will be in my head for awhile. I'm anxiously awaiting the movie adaptation.
By damedoiseau
Great book, by an amazing author! It has a Lord of the Flies vibe, with much more understanding! The characters are your average four boys, growing up in a tiny town with nothing to do. They are so well described! By the end of the book, you understand these teens and what is going through their minds. FANTASTIC!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Realism in fiction. Curl up, grab a blanket and a pasty, because you won't want to put this book down.
October 27, 2010
U.P. is a complex & dynamic work of fiction which takes place in an interesting but often forgotten part of the world, the upper peninsula of Michigan. Ra Riekki's art is putting words into motion. He drives a novel saturated in prose so fierce and beautiful I forgot to breathe. It's emotion and hyper-masculinity derailed. Lyrical. Naughty. Intense. And an ending thought provoking and beyond profound so you will not be left hollow.'
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Yoopermama
Thank you for opening the world to what it is like to be yooper! You did us proud. Cant wait for the movie!!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
f*in' depressin man.....
Based on some excellent reviews, I was excited to read this book by a young author from the UP. Unfortunately it was depressing and vulgar - and I felt like it was put on vulgarity... Read more
Published on December 16, 2010 by J. Weber
2.0 out of 5 stars
U.P. ...
Sorry. I would not recommend this book for young people to read. I'm very familiar with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and recognized so many of the spots depicted in Marquette... Read more
Published on October 26, 2010 by Mary Vusich
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your money...
My book club read this book for our September selection. It was unanimous! The worst book we ever read. And we've been meeting for 10 years. Read more
Published on October 6, 2010 by I read.....
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