The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos
After a bullying incident leaves Harry Jones literally scarred, he’s socially skittish until charismatic and popular Johnny takes Harry under his wing. When they form a band, Harry approaches the project obsessively, and soon enough the band is a [End Page 338] huge success, especially after the beautiful and talented Cheyenne joins them. Johnny eventually becomes anxious to leave Harry and the band behind for college, but the other band members convince him to go on a last-ditch summer tour, where the inevitable car trouble, romance trouble, and money trouble lead to the de rigueur metaphorical and actual break-up of relationships on the road to growing up and away from childhood. The ’80s setting and reflective tone impose a problematically adult sensibility on what’s supposed to be an extended college-entrance essay; the retrospective wisdom strips the immediacy of emotion from Harry’s narration and makes the book read more like a vehicle for adult nostalgia than teen investment. Some readers will appreciate the additional insight, though, and while the familiar elements of realistic boy fiction here—strong language, cruel bullying, a traumatized underdog hero, an enigmatic and untouchable girl, an eventful road trip, and a redemptive moment with a friend—aren’t surprising, they’re popular for a reason. Ultimately, this text performs adequate service as an paler but more emotionally straightforward read-alike for fans of Portman’s King Dork (BCCB 5/06), Smith’s Winger (BCCB 6/13), and Green’s Paper Towns (BCCB 10/08)
