Angry Young Man (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Angry Young Man Elizabeth Bush Lynch, Chris . Angry Young Man. Simon, 2011. [176p]. Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-689-84790-5 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-1989-6 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 9-12. Narrator Robert is more than willing to explain just what’s wrong with his younger brother, Alexander (for heaven’s sake, please call him Xan). As readers quickly sense, he’s far less able—or perhaps less willing—to examine the role he might play in Xan’s mildly asocial behavior. With a part-time job, a loyal girlfriend, fulfilling classes at the community college, and prospects for a career as a school sports coach, Robert considers himself to be one heck of a good guy and he never for a second lets Xan forget it, sometimes playing the protective older sibling (implying Xan is weak), sometimes goading him to get a job (implying he’s worthless), and sometimes just belittling him under the guise of brotherly teasing. Xan’s frustration and anger rise, and he succumbs to the thrall of Harry, an angry activist he meets while auditing a community-college class in Social Responsibility. Soon Xan is playing patsy in Harry’s plans for escalating acts of vandalism and violence, and Robert must step up to his true responsibility as older, stabler sibling—not an easy task when Xan has no interest in being saved, and Robert is tempted toward violence himself as he tries to protect their single mother from a harassing collection agent. Lynch creates in Xan and Robert a set of truly complex characters; there are no angels or devils [End Page 284] here, just a pair of young men on the brink of adulthood who can’t quite grasp the autonomy each craves and needs. Lynch continues to be an edgy yet compassionate spokesman for working-class kids, respecting the dignity of modest aspirations even while critiquing the ethical shortcomings of his characters. Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois