PRE-PUB REVIEW The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos

This debut novel will have a lot of appeal for music fans.  Harry (Harbinger Robert Francis Jones) was disfigured in an accident as a young boy.   I won’t ruin it by telling how.  When he finally finds a friend, it is the unlikely Johnny McKenna, popular boy and surely most likely to succeed.  The two of them start a band and after high school graduation, the band goes on tour.  The conflict revolves mostly around Harry’s self-loathing and resentment of Johnny’s normality.  The band tour brings everything to a head with tragic consequences.  Suffice it to say, that it is now Harry’s turn to be a mentor to his friend Johnny.  There is a lot to admire here.  Vlahos captures the voice of a teenaged boy extremely well, and though Harry is troubled, the reader wants him to get over it and enjoy life, which he will eventually do.  The other characters are well written and the parents are involved, not absent or flat, which is so often the case in YA novels.  There is a fair amount of foul language, which is to be expected in a book about a band, and some mention of drug use and underage drinking, although these are not central to the story.  This work will especially resonate with a teen who feels isolated.  It is also interesting to note that Harry addresses the reader directly, as the novel is written in the form of a college entrance essay.  This device works very well in this case, and Vlahos does a good job of not knowing more than his character would be able to know.

June’s Rating System:  Language—R, several F-bombs and assorted other vulgarities;   Nudity—PG;  Sexual Content—R  although not explicit the act is witnessed by Harry and implied on other occasions;  GLBT Content—G;  Violence—PG13 Harry discusses being beaten by bullies;  Substance Abuse—PG  some drinking and smoking a joint is smoked in one scene;  Adult Themes—G  the themes here revolve around learning to live with the blows life deals you.

Robin’s Comments:  Definitely High School, but this is a very good first novel.  I will keep an eye out for new titles by Vlahos.