ON THE WATERFRONT

In McCoy’s debut YA historical novel, a teenage boy searches for role models among the older boys at a Boy Scout camp.

It’s the summer of 1978. Thirteen-year-old Danny Novak was having a difficult time even before his mom dropped him off at Camp Baker, near Florence, Oregon. He’s still acclimating himself to life after his parents’ divorce, including his mother’s decision to move him and his brother from a nice Portland suburb to Lebanon, a small lumber town. His job at the camp is supposed to be a welcome respite from his difficulties at home, and he wants one of the sought-after positions working at the lake—“on the waterfront,” as it’s known: “They’ve got the coolest jobs,” one of the other workers tells him. “They hang out in the sun, swim, and paddle boats all day.” To land a spot, however, Danny will have to pass a swim test. He’s not used to swimming in lakes, as he’s only done so in pools before. He’s placed under the tutelage of the biggest, baddest kid on the waterfront, 16-year-old Mark, whom the adults see as a troublemaker. Mark has been warned that he’ll be sent home if he doesn’t turn Danny into a competent swimmer. The unlikely pairing becomes an unexpectedly cathartic friendship—until tragedy intervenes. McCoy’s prose effectively captures the emotionally fraught state between childhood and adolescence: “This time, I didn’t fight the tears,” narrates Danny. “I knew I was acting like a baby, feeling sorry for myself….I didn’t feel I fit in with the guys in my troop, but the guys on staff viewed me as a little kid. I just don’t fit.” In many ways, the book feels like an artifact from an earlier era, and not just because of the title, which recalls the acclaimed 1954 Marlon Brando film. Although the narrative grapples admirably with the issue of toxic masculinity, it ultimately takes a hard turn toward the sentimental, with an ending some may find a bit sappy.

A throwback coming-of-age novel featuring fine messages but predictable narrative beats.