ENCOUNTER

by Ivy Ruekman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1978

Sighting a UFO can just about wreck your life, according to some of the case histories mentioned here by a sympathetic investigator who comes to interview JD after his terrifying encounter; Ruckman builds on those stories in constructing this one about a Wyoming high school senior who is wakened by the glowing red spaceship while on a camping trip with his sister. JD, determined to get a photo, is drawn closer to the object, and has blacked out by the time his sister returns with help; later, under hypnosis, he recalls being taken inside the UFO by its resident ""humanoids."" What with the nightmares in which he relives the same experience, the general ridicule when word of the story gets out, and the loss of his conventional girlfriend who doesn't like the change in him, JD just about freaks out. After injuring his best friend in a snowmobile accident, JD splits, and there isn't much of a resolution except that, after working for a while in Denver, he feels together enough to return home. Though not a hard sell, this is coming from a believer's viewpoint, and there isn't much in it for readers immune to the lure of the subject matter; but the focus on JD's problems--in a wholesome small town high school setting--gives it a bit of human interest beyond the standard UFO adventure.

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1978

Categories: FICTION