Hooked

Fred likes to play golf. In fact, golf is the only thing in her life that makes her feel good. So, when the coach of the high school golf team asks her to join, Fred jumps at the chance. The problem is that everyone else on the team is male, privileged and white, three things that Fred is not. And the fact that a popular boy was kicked off the team to make space for Fred, doesn’t make things better for her. “Hooked” is told from the POVs of both Fred and school it-boy Ryan. Through their eyes we get to see both sides of the story. It’s all direction and misdirection and how easily it is for the smallest thing to be misconstrued and made into a much bigger problem.

After starting, but not finishing “Perfect Chemistry,” I became weary of reading teenaged interracial contemporary romance. “Perfect Chemistry” is one of the most ignorant and prejudiced books I have ever read. Reading the synopsis of “Hooked,” I was afraid to be bombarded with another ignorant authors idea of teenage romance and what it means to be a minority in this country. Fortunately, “Hooked” is not like that at all. “Hooked” is honest and well researched. The author did not try to pretend that the divide and distrust between the two groups at this high school was anything but racially charged confusion and ignorance. She didn’t offend my intelligence by trying to excuse, sugarcoat or over exaggerate the situation. She also doesn’t write cliche and stereotypical Native American characters. Both sides of the line have been separated and held back from the other. They do not know each other, they do not understand each other’s ways, but a girl with the strange name of Fred and the game of golf is about to change all that.

I recognized a problem with this book on the first page. I opened the book believing it to be about football/soccer, but it’s actually about golf. Golf is a sport I do not get. Footy I get. Rugby, cricket, basketball and American football and baseball, I get all of those. I even understand why people play on bowling leagues, but golf? I just don’t get why anyone competes in that and I was sure this would prevent my enjoyment of “Hooked.”

I was wrong. Golf in “Hooked” is not described from the point if view of the audience, but from the inner thoughts of the players mind. To Fred Golf is an escape, the one thing she is truly good at and a symbol of her hope for the future. Golf is the thing that can get her out of her family trailer on the reservation. Golf is also her hiding place from her problems. When life gets her down she picks up a nine iron and puts a few balls on the range. (Ha, I learned golf lingo, boom!)

Initially being in Ryan’s head did not endear him to me. His POV gave me the same reaction that meeting him in a high school hallway would give me; spoiled privileged kid who thought his life sucked, but had no earthly idea how lucky he was. I mean what kind of kid doesn’t recognize a girl he has classes with? This is not college where your in a lecture with 250 people! This is high school with what 20 kids per class? To make matters worse he called “The Great Gatsby” a lame 100 yr old book that never made any sense! That frame of thought did not endear him to me, as Gatsby is one of my favorite books.

One thing that works beautifully in “Hooked” is the evolution of Ryan’s character. Sometimes in life we meet people who move through our world like a tornado. They make you take a closer look at yourself and the people around you. They make you question the status quo of your life and as a result you begin to question who you are and what you stand for. Fred is the storm that blows through Ryan’s existence. His POV goes from whiny and cliche teenage angst to thoughtful and full of purpose. Ryan is still a teenager at the end, so there is still overblown angst, but he goes through a transformation that I enjoyed reading.

The love story in “Hooked” is well crafted and filled with dozens of emotions. Fred and Ryan do not look at each other across the room and are instantly in an epic romance. This story, like love, takes its time. It is bumpy in places, smooth in others and has a lot of hurdles to jump over. These characters go from enemies, to tentative team mates, hesitant friends and then finally it becomes more. It is not easy for these two and it is not a match made in heaven. No matter our age group, we all have baggage. We come with family, friends, traditions, expectations and prejudices. It is just a matter of deciding that the other person is worth it.

“Hooked” is not a unique story and at moments it is filled with overblown drama, but it is sweet. By the middle of this book you will be rooting for these kids and hoping that they can figure it out. This story is complicated and filled with half starts and full stops. Your emotions will be all over the place and your frustration will rise, but it will be worth it to finish this journey with Fred and Ryan.