The Boy Who Went away Book

Set in the suburbs of New Jersey in the summer of 1967, The Boy Who Went Away is a skilled debut novel that tells the story of one boy's maturation and the change a single summer visits on his troubled family. Denny is a sneak who begins the story playing domestic spy: listening in on phone conversations, steaming open the mail, and interloping on his mother, father, and his autistic brother, Fad. His Eddy Haskell of a friend Derwent helps usher Denny into an adolescent world of sex and irresponsible actions, and his spying uncovers a set of circumstances that teach him even more about adult life, namely his mother's infidelity and the looming institutionalization of his brother, who is prone to rocking in place and uttering comments like, "I want to be a wooden world that stays in one place so I can touch it whenever I want to." Together, the combination of his mother's love, his father's wits, and the simple love of a bothersome brother creates a moving story about the basic components of family life. The youthful prankishness and frank language keep the story moving and honest, and the book perfectly captures the way a single summer changes and seasons a young man's life.Read More