This young adult novel centers around the lives of teenagers in the 1990’s, in a fictional town called Akawe, similar to Flint, Michigan in description. John Bridge, the main character, is on the cusp of turning thirteen and is realizing that he’s not a kid anymore and may be outgrowing his friends, his town, his parents. The town is in decline from a crumbling auto industry that packed up and left people behind with their crumbling, decrepit buildings and school systems. With neighborhoods riddled with gangs and poverty, John Bridge and his friends and foes weave their way through the city, mostly looking for girls. Despite the crumbling exterior, they still have hope for their lives.

This is a sort of coming of age story mixed in with some mystery, a pair of sunglasses are found by John that change things, but we are only given hints of where this may lead, but we’re lead to believe it may be something sinister. The character building is so rich that we get a real sense of each character’s background and where they are coming from. The dialogue and actions of these teens makes sense and we care about what happens. Heavier topics like bullying come into play, but it is done in a very realistic way that it doesn’t feel like the author is trying to check a box. I was the same age as these kids in the 90’s and the way they talk and act is very relatable and realistic, the author doesn’t talk down to his audience here.

At the beginning of the novel we are given the back story of a new drug on the street called O-Sugar that is rumoured to be the death of a handful of teens and so adds another element to an ever evolving story. There is a lot going on here, but it all works and I am very much looking forward to the second volume. I really liked it and think it’s just as good a read for adults.