Wirewalker by Mary Lou Hall (review)

When Y, a local drug dealer and runner of dogfights, offers fourteen-year-old Clarence the opportunity to run drugs for his operation, Clarence is game. He’s sick of watching his dad (who is white) drown in drink since Clarence’s mom (who was African American) was murdered several years ago, sick of being called Itty for his size, sick of seeing a future with no respect, so he takes the deal, undergoing initiation to become a Y-Boy. He’s committed, though, to walking the fine line between surviving the rough streets and becoming the respectable man his mother had raised him to be, to be a force of good like the superheroes he so admires. And he might just do it. Besides being a good student, Clarence has Mr. Khabir, owner of the Kwik-Bi, and Ms. Angelique Moffet, his English teacher, to support and guide him. Mona, a Great Dane that’s caught Y’s attention as a possible competitor at his illegal dog fights, and Billie, a foul-mouthed, abused sixth-grader Clarence has agreed to mentor, both give his life some purpose (and inspire his imaginary superhero persona of Wirewalker). Debut novelist Hall paces her story patiently, allowing each questionable decision Clarence makes to increase the dramatic tension, while quietly raising the stakes for the secondary cast—human and canine—as well. There’s grit and challenging honesty here to serve readers who are not quite ready for full-out Urban Lit. By story’s end, Clarence is simply relieved to be reconnected with his father and out of Y’s organization, but readers will recognize his change of direction as the superheroic act he always hoped Wirewalker would accomplish.