Deadville

My favorite and first Ron Koertge book is Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, poetry about baseball and life from a sidelined teen athlete.  This prompted me to read Stoner & Spaz, another great Koertge book, which, as the publisher states is about a sheltered cinemaphile with cerebral palsy and the tattooed, straight-talking stoner who steals his heart.  Deadville, while a good read, doesnt live up to the two above books.  Charlotte, a high school senior and member of the in-crowd, and Ryan, a sophomore and a stoner, travel in two different circles. One day, Charlotte falls off her horse, strikes her head and is in a coma.  Ryan, at first unconcerned about the situation, soon feels compelled to visit her every day at the hospital.  Two years ago, Molly, Ryans younger sister, had a terminal illness and spent time in the same hospital.  Does Ryan visit Charlotte so shes not alone or because he was unable to perform the same activity for his sister?

Mollys illness had destroyed the whole family.  His father is now a workaholic and a vegetarian.  His mother is immersed in yoga and meditation.  Ryan gets high to ease the pain.  He becomes friends with the local school dealer, Andy.  One day while Ryan is visiting Charlotte, Betty, a classmate who Ryan knows slightly also visits and, looking at Ryan with distain, tells him he used to be a nice guy&what happened?  Is that the impetus Ryan needs to clean up his act?

Koertge wrote an easy reading story, with likeable characters.  Interspersed with the action are Ryans private thoughts.  Ryan is a music buff, so there are many musical references, each one appropriate for a specific occasion. Koertges characters are realistic.  Although Andy has enabled Ryan to use drugs, readers cant help liking him or feeling sorry for him.  Charlottes friends are stereotypical stuck up in-crowd kids.  You will, no doubt, root for Charlotte to wake up nicer, Ryan to clean up his act, his parents to realize theyve changed for the worse and all to end happily.  I wont tell you whether or not youll be surprised.  Theres romance, action and introspection.  While Deadville doesnt have the edge of Stoner & Spaz or the lightheartedness of Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, its still an enjoyable read.