DIAMOND DOGS

A powerful debut views guilt, love, anger, and lies through the eyes of a talented high-school athlete forced to share a criminal secret with his abusive father.

Neil Garvin is one of those kids who seem to have it all. He's the handsome, popular star quarterback with a strong arm and apparently secure future. But Neil has a dark side. His mother abandoned the family when he was three; his father, Chester, who happens to be the sheriff of Carmen, Nevada (a small town not far from Las Vegas), is a bullying drunk who has filled his son with anger and self-loathing that manifest themselves in similarly brutish behavior toward many of those who cross his path. One evening at a party, a drunken Neil torments a younger classmate. This leads to a crime that, without Neil's knowledge, his father covers up. Suddenly, much to Neil’s chagrin, he and the man he considers an enemy merely coexisting under the same roof are tied inextricably together as criminal accomplices. Neil’s first-person narration enables readers to see directly into the heart and mind of a troubled teenager desperately trying to free himself from familial bonds. Watt is particularly strong on details like Chester Garvin's obsession with the singer Neil Diamond; he also does a nice job limning the relationship between Neil and his best friend and teammate Reed. Watt’s prose skillfully moves from specifics to general truths, as in this description of Vegas casino worker Bernice: “Her hair was colored orange and she wore so much hairspray and makeup that she looked like a wax figure. Sometimes people do things to make themselves look better and then they just keep going and they forget what their original intention was and by the time they're done they don't even look human anymore.” Finally, an unexpected twist at story’s end offers a satisfying wrap-up.

Exquisite psychological fiction, resonating with suspense, wit, and perception.