The Rise and Fall of the Gallivanters

April 27, 2015
Eighteen-year-old Noah and his friends are punk musicians growing up near Portland, Ore., in the early 1980s. Noah worries that he will grow up to be like his abusive father, his best friend Evan's debilitating headaches are getting worseâand girls all over town are disappearing, possibly at the hands of the German brothers who operate a big local brewery. When Ziggy, a David Bowie-esque stranger, mysteriously appears in Noah's life, he persuades the teen to enter his band in a contest at the brewery and try to "save the city from the evil brewing at PfefferBrau Haus." Beaufrand (Dark River) is a talented writer, but the book's tone is scattered: some of the people in Noah's life, like hippie burnout/record store owner JoJo, are more caricature than character, and the various tragedies the characters are negotiating disrupt the rhythm of the book. These punk protagonists are easy to root for, but too many simultaneous notes leave the book striking a discordant chord. Ages 14âup. Agent: Steven Chudney, Chudney Agency.

February 15, 2015
Eighteen-year-old Noah understands pain too well: He can see it as others cannot-as the Marr, an all-encompassing darkness that is kidnapping young women and slowly causing Evan, his best friend, to disappear in front of everyone. The mysteries in this novel, set in early 1980s Portland, Oregon, roll in like a rising tide. The horrors of Noah's past, filled with physical abuse and grisly trauma, are slowly revealed. Ziggy, an uber-confident David Bowie doppelganger, suddenly appears in Noah's life, but with his uncannily timed arrivals and departures, readers will question the nature of his existence. Evan's physical health progressively deteriorates, but is it the Marr or something even more sinister attacking him? Ziggy encourages Noah to reunite his band, the Gallivanters. He must get them into the grand reopening gig at the PfefferBrau Haus, where the only vanished girl to have been found was discovered, dead and brewed into a vat of porter. Playing this show, all the Gallivanters together and Ziggy singing lead, is the key to vanquishing the Marr, saving the girls and rescuing Evan. Beaufrand's masterful pace compels readers toward the satisfying though heartbreaking conclusion, prodding them to question throughout whether Noah's story takes place in reality or in a dissociative hellscape. A chilling yet poignant story about the suffering in front of us that we can't bear to see. (Fiction. 14-17)

Starred review from February 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-It's the early 1980s in Portland, OR, and girls are disappearing without a trace. Punk protagonist Noah believes that he knows who's to blame. In what seems to be threads of magical realism, he discovers a mysterious David Bowie look-alike, Ziggie, who helps him uncover and work to defeat the Marr, a "toxic darkness" that threatens the girls in the city as well as his best friend Evan. Only music seems to stop the Marr, and Noah hopes that by playing at the battle of the bands being held in the sinister PfefferBrau Haus, he may be able to save his friend. As Noah delves deeper into his memories of his abusive father, his friendship with Evan, and his relationship with the girls in his band, the Gallivanters, he uncovers answers he wasn't expecting. These answers include the location of the missing girls, the secret to his own psychological mysteries, what is really wrong with Evan, and maybe the key that will help him deal with it all. This engaging story of friendship, mystery, music, and romance illuminates the vivid life of a complex teen. Noah's voice is authentic and draws readers into the narrative and its specific time and place as he copes with abuse, mental illness, and the loss of a close friend. Readers experience and discover along with Noah, and, after a roller coaster of emotions, are ultimately left with hope. VERDICT A sound addition to any YA collection.-Genevieve Feldman, San Francisco Public Library

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