One Shot Away

September 15, 2012
Three wrestlers in their senior year and last season are desperate to leave their unhappy lives behind as they compete with each other and themselves in this gritty story. Trevor is haunted by his father, who died the year before, and angry at his mother, who moves them into the seedy motel she manages for a friend. Jimmy aspires to become a teacher and coach, but he's saddled with an abusive, alcoholic father who steals building supplies. Overwhelmed by pressure to live up to his older brother's past success, Diggy cheats at wrestling. The three also work through complicated relationships with girlfriends. Trevor and Diggy vie for the same weight class, and Trevor's displacement of Diggy prompts a betrayal that threatens to destroy the team. The characters have equal measures of positive and negative attributes, but none are likable. Coughlin's passion for and knowledge of wrestling is apparent in this fast-paced, vivid narrative that is often compelling but never light. This novel will inevitably appeal to boys, especially fans of stories in which sports figures prominently. A compelling story, but a dark, heavy and humorless one without much hope. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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February 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-New Jersey high school seniors Trevor, Jimmy, and Diggy are troubled teammates on the varsity wrestling team. Trevor is dealing with his father's death in a car accident and his mother's new relationship with their landlord. Team captain Jimmy is tormented by guilt after reluctantly helping his father steal lumber from a construction site. Diggy rebels against his father's relentless physical and verbal abuse about his weight, performance, and his older brother's wrestling stardom. Trevor defeats Diggy in a weight-class challenge, bumping him to a heavier class. Infuriated, the teen breaks team rules and seeks revenge by stealing Trevor's beloved dog. Jimmy joins Trevor in his search for the pet, which leads to a brutal, almost fatal, confrontation. This story unfolds in alternating chapters from each boy's perspective. Although wrestling is the connection, motivator, and potential scholarship source for the protagonists, their tumultuous personal lives, parental conflicts, and insecure relationships with girlfriends overshadow the few sports moments. Adult role models are practically nonexistent. This somber tale includes vivid adolescent characters, intense confrontations, gritty dialogue, sexual encounters, and life after high school angst.-Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC

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