The Ticket

Jeter's coming-of-age novel considers the problems that might follow a sudden windfall. In Paradise, Ky., in 1975, the father of 14-year-old Tray Dunaway wins the lottery, and the poor family could certainly use the money. Tray's mom is emotionally damaged, and Tray's grandmother is the emotional rock of the family, making clothes for the intensely self-conscious adolescent and teaching her to make do in all circumstances. The smell of easy money brings people out of the woodwork, including Pee Wee Johnson, who bought the ticket for Tray's dad as a thank-you for a car ride, and teens suddenly interested in befriending Tray. The collision of motivations and characters produces a tragedy. Jeter's use of Tray's first-person perspective presents a narrative challenge, given the complex characters. The story is jumpy as it unwinds; the winning ticket, the amount of which is never specified, is not introduced until a quarter of the way into the book. Better editing would have made this a more emotionally authentic tale. Agent: Leslie Stobbe, Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency. (May)