Being with Henry

Though Brooks (Bone Dance) develops a poignant relationship between a runaway teen and an octogenarian widower, other elements of her story--the awkward structure, improbable plot and stereotyped minor characters--ultimately undermine the novel. For instance, after establishing a leisurely pace in the first chapter, in the following chapter, the author moves the protagonist through an entire year in the space of four pages. Readers may find it challenging to follow Laker Fontaine's 16th year as he moves jerkily along through a series of dramatic turns. When he gets into a brawl with his verbally abusive step-father, in defense of his mother, the woman kicks him out of the house. Laker then boards a bus to the town of Bemidji, where 83-year-old Henry takes him in despite protests from his overbearing daughter. During the next several months, Laker and Henry come to rely on each other: Laker offers Henry companionship; Henry, in turn, gives Laker a sense of security and enough freedom to mull over his past and make decisions about the future. Shifting between third-person narrative and cryptic journal entries penned by Laker, this novel relies heavily on coincidence and catastrophe. Readers will be all too aware of the author's hand in directing Laker's fate. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)