Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1265101 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up. In a novel presented as a first-person reminiscence, a discontented loner named Walker is openly disdainful of Christian zealots who cruise around his high school in a panel truck with speakers mounted on top, broadcasting their judgment of homosexuals and other "sinners." Angry at being rebuffed, one-note Preacher Boy queer-baits Walker, who's actually straight. This presents Walker with a dilemma because he secretly knows two girls from school use his favorite pond for romantic trysts. Walker resists the temptation to give up the real homosexuals through most of the book. When he finally outs them, as readers know he will, the lovers try to commit suicide together and one of them dies. Despite the certainty that the events will lead to a lifetime of regret for Walker, death and remorse seem to matter less than they should. As if the attempted suicide of lesbian lovers were not cliched enough, the surviving girl melodramatically accuses Walker of being a murderer. The characters simply aren't convincing enough or the author's rendering of the situation subtle enough to touch the heart. Francesca Lia Block's bittersweet Baby Be-Bop (1995) and M. E. Kerr's masterful Deliver Us from Evie (1994, both HarperCollins) do a better job of outing homophobia.?Claudia Morrow, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
This bitter, open-ended tale of a Florida teenager who ``outs'' a lesbian couple, then watches as one kills the other before turning the gun on herself, offers an astonishing change of pace for the author of Jack's New Power (1995). A long-abandoned, overgrown golf course is Walker's refuge, a private place where he spends every free moment: There, he liberates animals from the school's lab and watches classmates Karen and Jennifer--in his words--``screwing around.'' None of his business, he figures--until a teenage preacher appears outside school grounds to start a gay witch-hunt, and expertly enlists Walker as his informant. The preacher's relentless innuendo, blared through a bullhorn, puts Walker into a panic about his own reputation; he takes up with three punks-in-training, and blurts out Karen and Jennifer's secret to them. Soon everyone knows, and a few days later, the tragedy plays out. Although Gantos is vague about what gays do once their clothes are off, he is explicit when demonstrating how a climate of fear and suspicion can be concocted in a community, and how insecure young people--gay, straight--can be tormented by it. There are no admirable characters, acts, or role models here, and Walker's sense of failure haunts his narrative; Karen, only injured, shows up at the end to tumble Walker's weak defense--leaving him alone with his regret, and readers to wonder how they would react in similar circumstances. No answers here, just harsh questions. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

Customer Reviews

don't read this book if you're a glbt teenager
it paints an unnecessarily grim picture of what it's like to be gay or lesbian. It reads like something out of the 50s--The Children's Hour or something. Nasty. And as other reviewers said, not even well-written.

Tra la la la la......
Shove this into your kitchen pantry (a pantry is a little spot in the kitchen where you store dry food that doesn't need to be refrigerated. the food in my pantry is simply delicious, especially these cute little candy snowmen. Oh, it's such a shame you have to eat them because they're so adorable! but they taste so good!... er just in case you didn't know) but anyway... the people in this book are mean! Oh and all the protagonist talks about in the first chapter are lines. I know that the book is called "Desire Lines" but still! Oh, but the writing is terrific! =p Hee hee hee!!!!!

Fascinating
Besides being thought provoking this book is exceptionally well written. I agree with everything Booklist said. It's a gut wrenching story about a basically likable kid making the wrong choices. Bravo to Mr. Gantos for finally writing a story about a realistic teen who struggles with his conscience and doesn't do the right thing.