PECKING ORDER

Tom Morrell comes from a long line of farmers, each illuminated by some flash of fame and excitement—except Tom's father. Cruelly, fate has led this earnest, hardworking man on a desperate course to save the farm, ironically providing his moment in the limelight only at the end. McColley sows his wisecracking first person narrative with brotherly strife, first love, farming frustrations, and faltering families; along the way, he pokes fun- -sometimes excessively—at organized religion and a Down syndrome man/child called Muddle-Head. His language startles, sparkles, and satisfies, yet it's chafingly incompatible with his novel's serious nature and climax. Not only the lowest chicken in the pecking order but also Tom's father is destroyed; unfortunately, the symbolism's implications aren't followed through logically, leaving the reader with too many unanswered questions. (Fiction. 12+)