My Side of the Story

A troubled gay British teenager navigates the barbarity of adolescence in Davis's middling debut. It begins when 16-year-old Jazz's sister, ""the nun,"" rats on him for sneaking out and going to gay bars. His overbearing mother freaks out, and family therapy soon follows, providing plenty of material for the quick-witted, self-hating narrator. Jazz, of course, continues carousing and eventually runs away. The escape is short-lived, and troubles at home and with bullies at school worsen, though it appears most of Jazz's problems aren't rooted in his sexuality but in his misanthropic attitude, which, though clearly an emotional feint, lacks nuance. The narration-rendered in a snotty teen argot (expect the abuse of ""like"")-will alienate as many readers as it hooks, and though much happens, little is resolved by novel's end.