| Fifteen year old Penrod Swayne is going through the motions of his life, falling in love, working an after-school job, hanging out with his retarded older brother, when he starts to hear voices. At first, he believes them to be the thoughts of his friends and his family, and this notion is furthered by his uncle, once the Havre de Grace police chief and now the town drunk.
The plot deals with Penrod's illness and whether or not he is developing a severe mental illness or physiological problem or if in fact he is special, a king of his kind, which is what Uncle Hewitt tells him. Meanwhile, Penn is trying to live his life, date a girl, and continue in school. He is determined to ignore the voices even as they grow slowly to consume his thoughts and overtake his relationship with his parents. Finally, it all comes down to Uncle Hewitt, his intentions and what he believes is best for Penrod, despite the fact that Penrod's parents feel his presense is detrimental to their son's health. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Time/era of story - 1980's-1999 Internal struggle/realization? Yes Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Battle with a psychiatrist Yes Brain/Body disability? - mental illness Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - a teen Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - none Setting Small town? Yes Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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