The Fixes

May 30, 2016
Matthews (How to Win at High School) again takes on the Breaking Bad–like descent of a once-innocent, rule-following teen. Eric Connelly is fed up with his boring life, with being closeted about his sexuality, and with listening to his senator father drone on about his future. A chance meeting with the wealthy, handsome Jordan provokes dizzying romantic fantasies, and soon Eric is partying hard and missing work to spend time with Jordan’s privileged crowd, which calls itself the “Suicide Pack.” Soon they are doing more than partying: they destroy priceless art and move on to felony theft and bomb-making, all in the name of “fixing” what’s wrong with their town. As Eric’s romantic hopes turn into reality, he sheds his hesitations around this escalating crime spree. Matthews’s cheeky, third-person, prose-poem style fuels the surreal feel of this larger-than-life story. Plot- and character-wise, Matthews is retreading his previous book somewhat, including a tendency to speak conspiratorially to readers, but those who enjoyed Adam’s story in How to Win at High School should have just as much fun with this wild ride, too. Ages 14–up. Agency: Donald Maass Literary.

June 15, 2016
Capilano High School student Eric Connelly finds that first love can have explosive consequences. Eric is supposed to become a Connelly Man like his father, Sen. Donovan Connelly, by following the Plan: take a summer internship in a law firm, attend Stanford, build a career in corporate law, have a fine family, and run for office. He must "LIVE UP TO HIS POTENTIAL," "MEET EXPECTATIONS," and never, ever, "TARNISH THE FAMILY NAME." The problem is that "Connelly Men do not hook up with guys," and Eric has a crush on Jordan Grant, a rich, handsome, "one-way ticket to nowhere." With Eric and a couple of girls, Jordan forms the Suicide Pack, and the four white students embark on a series of "fixes," supposedly to fight the corruption and hypocrisy of their town. But it's a descent into chaos--trashing offices, shoplifting, stealing cars, making bombs, and committing murder. The third-person omniscient narrator never lets the reader forget that Eric is a Connelly Man, even as Eric is anything but, though Eric's training does, perhaps, allow for "Redemption. (Kind of.)" Matthews' stylized, telegraphic prose style of short words, short sentences, and frequent, short (even one-word) chapters comes in handy as the story gathers momentum for a riveting final fifth, as Eric must find a way to stop the escalating violence. A fast-moving tale of obsession and redemption. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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June 1, 2016

Gr 10 Up-Eric Connelly has summer all planned out-thanks to his dad's strict standards of what it means to be a "Connelly Man." This includes reading ahead for college classes and interning at a local law firm. Eric's grandfather was mayor, his father was a senator, and that leaves Eric to be president. Then he meets Jordan. When they join up with two fellow classmates, trouble ensues. Eric has discovered that he likes boys, not girls, but "Connelly men don't like boys." And then he finds out that his dad the senator once committed a hate crime against a gay person with his fellow fraternity brothers. Jordan's multimillionaire parents are never around and are not interested in what he is doing. What begins as mostly harmless pranks (shoplifting sprees, stolen cars) quickly spirals out of control. And when Jordan figures out how to make a bomb, things get serious. In the end, Eric must decide what is right. The author slowly builds tension and introduces background information to keep the pages turning. This is a modern-day read with a lot of slang and teen-speak. Teens will not put this one down. VERDICT Reminiscent of John Green's Paper Towns, this title has a much darker twist. Recommended purchase for mature readers.-Deanna McDaniel, Genoa Middle School, OH

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