EAST BAY GREASE

In a gritty coming-of-age novel set in the Bay Area, the narrating offspring of a jailbird and biker chick overcomes his background through music. As portrayed by Johnny Heller, the young hero has a great deal of Huck Finn in him. That Heller, primarily a stand-up comic, affects a twang amplifies the similarity. His awkwardness and lack of technique appropriately, albeit inadvertently, contribute a charming ingenuousness that disguises some of his and the book's flaws. Nonetheless, though the background seems genuine enough, the main character and his transformation are, unlike Huck, unbelievable, and Heller hasn't the chops to convince. Y.R. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 01]