WANTED BOYS

In McPherson’s speculative novel, two teenage boys struggle with romantic feelings while living under a repressive regime.

Logan Cardot, a boy with a keen interest in languages and literature, is raised in secret in the city-state of Hallsburg, by parents who were not licensed to reproduce. They educate him at home and hide his existence from the chancellor-run authoritarian government. When their home is raided, Logan’s books are seized and his parents are sent to Shalecrest, a work and reeducation camp where many others have died. Logan is moved to Childers Coast Home, a school for children born to unlicensed parents that houses nearly 4,000 boys; there, he develops an instant camaraderie with the charismatic and headstrong Jace Evans. They and their circle of friends—Squints, Bails, and three boys named Ben—play rugby and engage in typical boarding school shenanigans, such as breaking into a chemistry lab. Logan resists his growing attraction to Jace until the object of his affection unexpectedly reveals that the attraction is mutual. Obliged to keep their relationship a secret, they find an unlikely ally in Ms. Lowell, the dean of Eagle Hold dormitory, who reveals that she, too, has a secret partner. As the two boys’ relationship becomes more physical, their feelings for each other deepen. However, when agents of the regime, known as Black Lapels, visit the school seeking recruits, Logan must make difficult choices. McPherson’s detailed characterization and a distinct lack of melodrama enhance this story of two boys learning what it means to be human in inhuman conditions. Jace is a wonderfully nuanced character; like Steerforth in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, his brashness, casual disregard for rules, and devotion make him ambiguous, unpredictable, and compelling. McPherson wisely foregrounds the central relationship, revealing enough about the dystopian regime and its history to underscore its danger to the boys, but refusing to let it eclipse the romantic drama. The author’s meticulous attention to character development is rewarded in the poignant final chapters.

A skillfully constructed and refreshingly grounded coming-of-age story.