A Push and a Shove

Texas journalist Kelly delivers a pitch-perfect combination of revenge and coming-of-age story in his searing debut. Ben Reilly teaches high school English in Staten Island, N.Y., and remains scarred from the emotional and physical bullying he suffered in high school at the hands of Terrence O'Connell, a popular jock. At home, Ben's family is still reeling from the unexpected death of Ben's older sister, Mary, from a brain tumor several years earlier. Tormented by Terrence for being gay, the semicloseted Ben is now resigned to his unfulfilling life until an unexpected act of violence at his school triggers a desire to put his demons to rest. After he tracks down Terrence, who is now a successful but unsatisfied writer in Manhattan, the two men form an unlikely and dangerous friendship as they both search for their identities. Kelly moves effortlessly through time, giving the reader firsthand glimpses into Ben's high school years as the victim of constant homophobic abuse at school, as well as his current desire to settle the score with Terrence. Equally about discovering who you are and who you're not, Kelly's novel is not to be missed. (Sept.)