TWELVE DAYS IN AUGUST

With terrific pacing and a real sense of what makes people tick, Murrow translates current issues into a flesh-and-blood story of high-school sports, relationships, and homophobia. Twins Alex and Rita move into Todd's Vermont town just as soccer practice begins. In the days before the first scrimmage, the entire team is affected by Alex's obvious athletic skill. Todd finds himself admiring the newcomer; another player, Randy, is intimidated by his talent—and also by his suspected homosexuality. By name-calling (fag, lover boy) and scheming (bullying other players into isolating Alex on the field so that he can't score), Randy hopes to force his rival to quit. Todd also becomes a target of taunts and of his own insecurity; in an outburst of machismo, he almost gets himself and his girlfriend killed in a car accident. On the outskirts of this muddle is Todd's Uncle Gordo, a near-stereotype of normality, who for the first time informs his nephew of his own relationship with longtime partner Gary. The complexities of the plot never get in the way of Murrow's careful scrutiny of human nature; while leaving a number of subplots realistically unresolved, she gives Todd his own triumphant way out. (Fiction. 12+)