TIETAM BROWN

The hero of the title is 15, recently sprung from juvenile detention (he killed his stepdad and a would-be abuser), and reunited with his low-life father. Though he's missing an ear and is lame in one hand, the high school beauty has taken a fancy to him. How he deals with his father, his sweetheart, and various sordid secrets forms the plot. A ridiculous sensibility of violence and cheap theatrics pervade this foray into coming-of-age fiction. Yet . . . this is an oddly compelling tale. Youthful-sounding Daniel Passer reads well enough so as not to get in the author's way. But he is bland and too upper-middle-class to impersonate a blue-collar kid in a predatory environment. Perhaps because of these qualities, Tietam's basic humanity shines through brightly. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 03/JAN 04]