Chris Lynch (1) (1962–)

Hilarious and heartfelt. Jock’s voice is light-hearted and humorous at times, contemplative and melancholic at others, but always unflinchingly honest. The Big Game of Everything captures the magic of long hot summer days, explores the unique combination of toleration and love that is reserved for family members, and encourages readers to reflect on what is important in life. Although at times your heart will break for Jock and those whom he cares for, in the end you will be left hopeful, show more happy, and perhaps a bit more prepared for the crazy ups and downs that life may throw your way. show less

Chris Lynch’s “Inexcusable” examines an important issue facing contemporary adolescents—date rape—from an often underexamined perspective, the rapist’s. Lynch has created a believably deluded narrator in Keir Sarafian, a popular high school senior who plays on the football team and lives with his widowed father. Keir is by turns arrogant, insecure, oblivious, apologetic, inarticulate, sweet, and insensitive. In short, he could be many teenage boys. Keir, however, takes denial to show more new depths after he date rapes a girl named Gigi but refuses to take responsibility for his actions.

Although Lynch’s novel attempts to tell an important story, it is not so much a story as an extended character sketch. The plot, such as it is, is skeletal. The novel opens in the aftermath of the pivotal event, and the rest of the story—told largely in flashback—focuses on Keir’s past actions, most of which establish him as unreliable narrator—a young man who is not to be trusted as an accurate judge of his own (or his father’s) character. Keir’s flawed character IS the story, really, and every other character—Keir’s father, Keir’s sisters, other members of the football team—are there merely to provide Keir with human interaction.

This minimalist attempt at a plot renders the story—which, focusing as it does on a powerful and important issue—a disappointing shell. Young adult readers, for whom this novel is intended, will easily see through the thin plot and moralistic themes. show less

This book is courageous! Though this novel is geared towards middle and high school teens, Chris Lynch does not level or tone down the seriousness of his subject matter. Don't let the cover or subtitle mislead you - you'll find no chest-thumping pro-war propaganda here, but an unabashedly honest, frank and harrowing fictional portrait of one young man's experience of war. It's a perfect recommendation for teens who don't usually like to read. I was riveted from page one, and have already show more dived into the second book of the series. Hopefully it's just as daring as its forerunner. show less

The McLuckies, dad, Sylvia, and Walter have moved to a new town for a new start. But they've moved into the locally known Gravedigger's Cottage, ironic given the number of pet deaths they have experienced in Sylvia and Walter's short lives. The McLuckies are mostly self-contained, sheltering with each other away from the rest of the world, until Walter welcomes an odd local child into their midst s his friend. The story is told by fourteen year old Sylvia and is fairly unrelentingly dark. show more The chapters alternate between the disintegrating psychological state of Mr. McLuckie accompanied by the distress of the kids and brief vignettes about each pet they've had and how it eventually, generally accidentally, met its death. There is a creepiness and morbidity to the book that is unrelieved by the easy and redemptive ending because it is too abrupt to banish the feel of the book up to that point.

Although this is a young adult book, I found it very difficult to immerse myself in the story and more bothered than anything else by the characterizations. It just felt off-kilter most of the time. Perhaps the middle school audience for whom I was pre-screening it will be more receptive to it han I was. show less