THE BOY WHO DRANK TOO MUCH

by Shep Greene ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1979

In yet another tale of a tippling teen, 15-year-old Buff Saunders is either knocking down bottles of booze or knocking 'em dead on the hockey rink. As told by the nameless narrator, a friend and teammate, Buff is suffering from a ""like father, like son"" syndrome: widowed Dad, a retired hockey player himself and a raging alcoholic, evidently thinks that beating up on his son will prod him to become a pro. (In one particularly nasty scene, Mr. Saunders belts Buff in the mouth after he's just had stitches from nearly swallowing a puck.) Buff finally strikes back--literally--and with the encouragement of his friend and a kindly recovered alkie, enrolls in a rehab program. Greene does okay when he's talking hockey but as far as taking on the complicated problem of teenage alcoholism (""Getting drunk is one way of coping with problems. It's not a very good way though""), he is simply out of his league.

Pub Date: April 1, 1979

ISBN: 0440904935

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1979

Categories: FICTION