Stupid Fast

April 25, 2011
Adult author Herbach (The Miracle Letters of T. Rimberg) delivers an alternately fascinating and awkward novel that sometimes seems to exist in denial of its own characters. Felton Reinstein's late puberty during his sophomore year turned him into an incredible runner, which has landed him on both the track and football teams. Socially isolated, he is resigned to a lonely summer with his unpredictable widowed mother and piano-prodigy younger brother. But things become complicated as Felton meets beautiful new girl Aleah, he is drawn into the football team's summer workouts, and his home life disintegrates. Herbach's story would be typical but for a narrative style that clearly paints Felton as developmentally disabled ("I sweated in my tight jeans because it was summer. I smelled the pee-smell of my own athlete's body"). This offers potential, but it's wasted by the denial practiced by practically everyone he deals with, including his mother (who, admittedly, has problems of her own). Instead of coming across as an actual element of his character, Felton's narrative voice reads as merely "quirky," and it creates issues that aren't adequately addressed. Ages 12âup.

November 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Playwright Geoff Herbach's debut young adult novel (Sourcebooks Fire, 2011) is a coming-of-age tale that has too much going on. Shy Felton Reinstein, 15, a previously picked on runt, suddenly finds himself "hungry all the time and growing hair everywhere." As a result of this growth spurt, he has become a sprinter and lands on the football team. This alone could have made this a great sports story, but the author has added too many additional plot elements: the suicide of Felton's father, his mother's downward spiral into depression, his little brother's erratic behavior, his best friend Gus's departure for the summer, and his romantic feelings for the African-American teen who has moved into Gus's house. All this makes for an overly complicated story that jumps from one dramatic plot device to another and doesn't come across well in the audio version. Fred Berman does his best to bring the characters to life, but the constant jabbering and yelling is irritating and hard to follow. There are some laugh-out-loud moments here, especially between Felton and his quirky little brother, but that's not enough to entice listeners.-Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI

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