Pieces

Gr 9 Up—It has been three years since the events recorded in Iceman (HarperCollins, 1994), Lynch's novel about 14-year-old Eric, a tough and angry hockey player who struggles to understand his feelings and his place in his family. In those years, Eric has given up the sport and, more significantly, his older brother has died after a diving accident. At the start of Pieces, Eric is attempting to process his feelings, especially now that bits and pieces of Duane have been transplanted and live on in the bodies of strangers. Eric initiates a meeting with three of the recipients: a sweet teen named Phil, who benefits from Duane's inner-ear bones; the "überhot" Malinda, a young mom who received Duane's kidney; and the antagonistic and heavy-drinking Barry, who lives thanks to Duane's liver. Eric is both comforted and shocked by the trio, but, along with Duane's former girlfriend, Martha, the five quickly become embroiled in one another's lives, and Eric and Martha find the freedom to grieve and move forward. Lynch is known for his gritty novels with flawed protagonists. He does not disappoint here, once again giving readers characters with emotional and psychological complexity. A long time coming, this sequel is a sophisticated, extended look at a teen's maturation and growth through a series of dynamic life changes.—Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA