Jake Riley: Irreparably Damaged

After reading the first few pages of this book, I spent the rest of it waiting for the other shoe to drop. I just knew something terrible was going to happen. Something bad. Horrible.

And yet, it never did.

Bad things did happen, but nothing of the magnitude I was expecting. Maybe thats the point...Jake Riley isnt irreparably damaged after all.

But let me back up a minute and explain.

Lainey is just starting ninth grade in a small town. Her family owns a farm and her fathers assistant has a son, Jake. Jake moves in with his father during the summer after being released from a reform school, though nobody knows exactly why he was in there to begin with.

Jake and Lainey have become friends of a sort during the summer, but Jakes mood swings and violent tendencies keep Lainey on constant edge. She never knows what hes going to do. Jake has a problem with boundaries and with social niceties, possibly because of the time he spent in the reform school.

When school starts, things begin to change for the worse. Lainey is uncomfortable with Jakes attention and even more uncomfortable with the school staff who insist on misreading and judging both her and Jake. The adults in this book are all misguided and judgmental. Even when they think they are helping, they are only hurting the situation. Even Laineys parents are no help. It hasnt occurred to them yet that Lainey is growing up. As an adult reading the book, this was the hardest part for me to handle. I wanted to shake some sense into the parents, especially the mother. When your daughter is giving indications that someone is harming them or hurting them, why, why, why would you not pay attention? But, it happens all the time.

Laineys friends are going through their own problems, including first sexual encounters and peer pressure. All of these issues are handled truthfully and honestly and not necessarily the way an adult might want to see them handled (but thats part of the honesty).

In the end, we find out what Jake is made of. In a bizarre showdown between Lainey and Jake, they come to a resolution. Thats one great thing about this book Lainey and Jake have quite a few showdowns and Lainey always stands up for herself, up to and including punching Jake in the nose.

This is a very strong book and I recommend it for ages 13 and up, with a note for parents that the book explores sexuality and abuse. If nothing else, it will leave you thinking.