There's nothing more dangerous than devouring a book and suddenly finding yourself begrudgingly glaring at the stack of "to-read" books because you know few of them will leave you wishing the story didn't have to end. I'm in that place where I know I will miss Boady narrating his life in the rural Ozark hills and I loathe the hole finishing Nothing More Dangerous has left behind.
Allen Eskens introduces readers to Boady Sanden recounting the life lessons he learned in Jessup, Missouri. Boady recaps on his freshman year when he meets Thomas Elgin and how it completely changed his life. His coming of age story begins with the disappearance of a black woman named Lida Poe whom the town believes embezzled a $100,000 from the local plastics factory that employs most of the town. The powers that be send Charles Elgin and his family to Jessup to investigate the theft. The only problem is Charles Elgin is an educated black man employed to manage a factory of non-educated racist white men.
The Elgin family moves in across the street from Boady and his mother. Finally Boady has someone he can befriend. Thomas and Boady eventually become great friends although their initial introduction was less than ideal. Before long, Boady finds himself embroiled in situations where he's forced to decide the type of man he wants to be.
Nothing More Dangerous is my first roll in hay with Allen Eskens. He makes it clear that this story took him years to write because he wanted to get it right. I think he got it right. Before we get into the themes, let me just say, I'm a huge fan of coming-of-age stories. At times young narrators can be unreliable, bratty, selfish, whiny, or downright stupid (in my opinion) which makes it hard for me to read YA. The stories I do enjoy reading in reference to the preteen or teen monster, are coming-of-age stories. Those novels provide me with a smidgen of hope for those between the ages 12-21 (yes, I include you early 20-year old brats). I can dream that for once the world is larger than them and they have the capacity for empathy.
We meet Boady when he's simply choosing to do the right thing for a fellow classmate. He has no idea the weight conviction carries. Boady slowly begins to uncover a world where the color of your skin determines how you will be treated. Although Boady has always known the racists actions of some in his town, he becomes hyper aware of how dangerous being black and an outsider can be.
The plot dealing heavily with race, class, and mystery only enhances Boady's story. It was a great choice to have him narrate because we only knows and we can see the world through his eyes as he finds his self. Seriously, I wanted to hang with Boady and Thomas as they help each other learn that life has its ups and downs, its evilness and virtuosity, its good and bad.
I know that my review may seem all over the place but it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what hooked me to Nothing More Dangerous. Honestly, if sleep wasn't necessary and passing finals I could have finished this book in a day or so. (Sorry peeps! I'm no speed reader.) Eskens drew me in almost immediately with a character I cared about. I even cared about the supporting cast based on Boady's thoughts. He's such a good, genuine kid that it's hard to walk away from his story.
Really, there isn't much more I need to say. I really enjoyed reading Nothing More Dangerous.
Copy provided by Mulholland Books via Netgalley
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