Black Rabbit Summer

Let me start off by saying this is an awesome book! This book is written like a slice of life - there are many things happening at many levels, and not all of them need to be explained in order to appreciate this novel. The plot, basically, is that five friends who grew apart are drawn back together one last time before two of them move to France. Their goal is to meet at a carnival close to home, but before they even arrive, things do not go according to plan. Some bring agendas with them, some are forced to do things against their will, and at least one is hearing the call of the rabbit. You'll have to read the book to figure this out. After the carnival, two people go missing and all that happened the day before takes on much more significance. I loved the unexplained depression the main character Pete feels at the beginning, his unapologetic friendship with the probable schizophrenic, Rabbit whispering Raymond, and how clues to the entire mystery are dropped all along the story so that the ending makes perfect sense. Their is profanity, alcohol abuse, drug use and sexual themes, but this realistic depiction does not endorse this lifestyle any more watching The Dark Knight is going to turn someone into murderous, anarchistic clown. One word of caution, one of the central mysteries of the book is NOT resolved by the end. If this sort of thing drives you crazy, you have been warned! This author could easily write adult mysteries as easily as teen mysteries. This book is a cut above other authors and well deserves the awards that he has earned.

I want to start out by mentioning that I usually don't read books narrated by guys. I don't really know why, but usually I just don't feel as connected to the novel. That said, Black Rabbit Summer might be one of my favorite books. It was absolutely stunning! There was just something so ridiculously deep about it. It might have been the narrator or Brooks himself, but this book simply shines. It wasn't what I expected really, it was much more than the jacket description lets on. I related to the characters in this book so well. I could see each and every character as someone from my life - someone I went to school with. The plot involves a bit of a mystery and I honestly had no clue how it would be resovled. There were clues at first, but I had no clue how it would all end up fitting together.

In the sultry heat of the summer, Pete Boland is lethargic and disinterested in doing much of anything. He sleeps late and then hangs around the house as his school vacation days pass uneventfully. Then one day, Nicole Leigh, an old friend, calls to invite him to a reunion of his old buddies on Saturday night. Nicole and her twin brother, Eric, will be moving to Paris soon, and they have a whim to meet up with their friends in the old den they built in the woods. Before they drifted apart, the group spent all of their time together. Although Nicole doesn't mention Raymond Daggett, Pete points out that Raymond was a part of their group. Pete loves Raymond in spite of the fact that Raymond, who is emotionally attached to his pet rabbit to the point that he believes it communicates to him in words, is distinctly strange. When Raymond's current Black Rabbit dies, he replaces it with another one that he is convinced is somehow the same rabbit. Pete is protective of Raymond, who has a dreadful home life but maintains a childlike open heart. Nicole reluctantly agrees that Raymond can come, too. They should all bring liquor to share, and afterward they can go to the carnival. Nicole's invitation is unsettling. She and Pete enjoyed a few intimate encounters ages ago, and now he feels quite off-kilter over the prospect of being with her again, especially when she makes it clear that he can spend the night with her after the reunion. Pete is excited about the group getting together again, but he is also frightened of the idea. When Pete invites Raymond to the reunion, Raymond is troubled at the news that Pauly Gilpin will be there, too. Although Pauly was once one of the group, he now hangs around with a scary group of tough kids headed by the infamous Wes Campbell. However, Pete reassures Raymond that only the five old friends will be at the den: Nicole, Eric, Pauly, Pete and Raymond. Saturday finally arrives. Pete meets Raymond, and they head for the den in the woods. Raymond is pale and quiet. He blurts out, "The star's going out tonight." When Pete questions him, Raymond says that's what Black Rabbit told him that afternoon. Their discussion breaks off when they see Pauly in a group that includes the dreaded Wes Campbell. Pete knows that Raymond is spooked, but so is Pete. Wes acts hostile but tells Pauly that he'll see him later on. In the den, the group share bottles of alcohol. Pauly rolls a joint. Pete begins to hallucinate; he sees Nicole's face as a series of patterns. Her skin seems to ripple with energy, and his head whirls with sensation when the two are alone and she touches him. However, things go awry between them, and Nicole leaves angry. Finally, Pete finds his way alone to the fair where the evening continues to unfold in a series of nightmarishly disorienting vignettes. Pete finally finds Raymond with local teen celebrity Stella Ross. Stella is making Raymond the butt of a continuing joke until Pete intervenes. Pete drifts with Ra

I came to discover this book in a truly bizarre way - I won a pre-release proof copy in a gift basket of books at a raffle. I have no idea where it came from. I will also state up-front that I am over 40 years old, and not your typical demographic for this book. While I found this book to be a very easy read, it was also incredibly suspenseful and I enjoyed it tremendously. I read it over the course of a few days rather than my typical "few weeks". The characterizations are very well done; even though there is very little descriptive prose (and TONS of dialog) you get a very good internal image of these young people. I agree with most of what the previous reviewer wrote, with a couple of exceptions: 1) The dialog is a little too realistic - characters say "What?" at least a hundred times in this book, only to have the previous line of dialog re-stated. It feels realistic, and helps drive home some points, but it is overused and becomes agonizingly tedious (unless it was changed after the pre-release copy) and 2) while it is not glamorized, these kids get drunk, smoke dope, take drugs, have sex, lie, commit strong acts of violence, and get themselves in way over their head. The "F" word is used about 100 times. A mature reader might understand the lessons found between the lines, but I'm afraid other, less mature readers, might see all these recognizable characters doing unacceptable things and somehow legitimize their behavior. None of these characters have any redeeming values, other than the friedship and loyalty between two of them, nor should any of them serve as role models. Maybe I'm an overly protective parent, but I strongly disagree with rating of "12 and older" in my advance copy. A 12 year old will have nightmares for a week. Maybe a mature 15 or 16. This is Stephen King type stuff, toned down only a *little* bit. Despite these warnings, Black Rabbit Summer really was a wonderful surprise, and a very good story. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could.

This book involves a bunch of 16 year old kids, mostly boys. And a rabbit. Three actually. Think trinity. No sense in reviewing the storyline. Look above for that. Pete and Raymond are best friends, even though Raymond is a little odd. His black rabbit passes messages to him. And one time Pete thinks he hears a message. He should have listened to the rabbit. But then there would be no book. The story grabs your interest right away. You can't help but relate to Pete. Unless you were never a teenager. Pete's big problem is that he is constantly hiding the truth from those who need to know. He also has a problem with doing what he is told to do. Everytime he sneaks out and tries to do things his way he just gets himself deeper into trouble. If he had come completely clean from the begining his life would have gone much easier. But then if he had listened to the rabbit there would never have been anything for him to lose sleep over. He and Raymond would still be living in a world where friendship ruled. This book would be recomended for teens to read in hopes that it might impress upon them the need to not try to take things in their own hand when others are far more capable. Okay, so we have some swearing. Some illusions about sex but no actual events discussed much. Pete fooled around some but never actually did anything with his girl. Gay activity comes up but is never described. If acknowledging that teens are sexual upsets you then don't buy this. Or if drinking and drugs perturb you go read a Hardy Boys book. None of these activities are presented in a positive light. Like in real life they just happen. So why four stars and not five. I just didn't like the way the author wrapped up the story over the final 80 pages. Im not surre what I wanted. And I don't want to spoil it for anyone by explaining myself. Its just that I had questions. But then I guess in real life when all is said and done there are always unresolved issues. So then what is the lesson: If a rabbit, real or porcelan, seems to be putting thoughts into your head, LISTEN.