A-
I came to this book after Tom Henderson called it the greatest novel ever in King Dork, and while that's a high bar to reach, it didn't exactly disappoint. After you spend the first chapter wondering what the heck a Kolley Kibber is, this novel takes you on a shockingly dark and transgressive exploration of a young murderer's mind. The Boy in question, Pinkie, is a 17-year-old mob leader who'd do anything to distance himself from his Catholic upbringing in the slums of Brighton. Greene's greatest strength as a writer is illustrating the inner worlds of his characters: Ida's world of justice and right and wrong, where truth lies in popular adages; and Pinkie's world, where everyone is defined by their place in the dichotomy between innocence and experience ("the game"), and where only flames and eternal damnation wait on the other side. Greene also really makes you feel for these characters--you root for Pinkie to redeem himself until the bitter end, and your gut wrenches knowing what Rose will hear when she plays that record. The plot is simple, but Greene really does have interesting things to say about love, evil, and redemption.