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BAD BOY by Diana Wieler

BAD BOY

by Diana Wieler

Pub Date: March 1st, 1992
ISBN: 0-385-30415-3
Publisher: Delacorte

A second novel that builds on the strengths of the author's first, Last Chance Summer (1991): here, A.J. thinks his 16th year will be the best yet—until he discovers that his closest friend, Tully, is gay and that his hockey coach condones deliberate brutality on the ice. A.J. has proudly moved up to the Cyclones, a Triple-A team, and is developing an intense interest in Tully's younger sister, Summer. But finding Tully at a gay bar with a teammate turns his world upside down; he takes out his sense of betrayal (and fright at his own feelings) by going after opposing players, accepting his spreading reputation as a ``bad boy'' with guilty pleasure. The two young men are well-drawn, complex characters: glib, unstable Tully bitterly contemplates the loss of a treasured friend and the impossibility of keeping a secret in a small town, while A.J., inarticulate and socially inept, struggles desperately to lay both confusion and prejudice to rest. Believable subplots, some violent hockey action, and a particularly strong supporting cast enhance a story that is thoughtful and, ultimately, optimistic: in the end, the friendship survives. (Fiction. 13+)