The Rise and Fall of the Gallivanters
Summary:
In Portland in 1983, girls are disappearing. Noah, a teen punk with a dark past, becomes obsessed with finding out where they've gone—and he's convinced their disappearance has something to do with the creepy German owners of a local brewery, the PfefferBrau Haus. Noah worries about the missing girls as a way of avoiding the fact that something's seriously wrong with his best friend, Evan. Could it be the same dark force that's pulling them all down?
When the PfefferBrau Haus opens its doors for a battle of the bands, Noah pulls his band, the Gallivanters, back together in order to get to the bottom of the mystery. But there's a new addition to the band: an enigmatic David Bowie look-alike named Ziggy. And secrets other than where the bodies are buried will be revealed. From Edgar-nominated author M. J. Beaufrand, this is a story that gets to the heart of grief and loss while also being hilarious, fast paced, and heartbreaking. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Please note: I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher and I voluntarily chose to write a review
Review:
This book struck me as all around average. There were a few reveals and certainly some very sad moments, but I never felt fully invested in the characters. Noah is interesting and his relationship with Ziggy created an odd dynamic, but I felt like I knew what was coming from early in the story. One the one hand I felt for Noah and everything he went through, but I also was frustrated to his determined blindness to everything going on around him.
My biggest observation is that there are a lot of things that didn’t feel realistic to me. Would Evan really have delayed for that long? And why was he delaying before they even were in the rock competition? I still really enjoyed this book, but I don’t think it’s going to be one that stick with me in the longer term.
Warning: Contains violence.
Rating: 3 stars!
Who should read it? Fans of coming of age stories, punk culture and fans of 80’s music.