Linger
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
In this novel by the award-winning author of Gentlehands and Slap Your Sides, a teenager starts to look at life differently when his older brother is sent to the Persian Gulf
To sixteen-year-old Gary Peel, Linger is home. His father is manager of the Pennsylvania restaurant; his mom takes care of the books; and Gary's older brother, Bobby, works there as a waiter. That is, until he decides to join the army.
The only one from their hometown to enlist, Bobby becomes an instant hero. At Linger, Gary takes Bobby's place waiting tables—and finds himself drawn into the correspondence between his brother and Lynn Dunlinger, the beautiful, preppy daughter of the restaurant's owner. The tone of Bobby's letters starts to change when he's suddenly shipped overseas. Gary—the brother left behind—tries to adjust to his new life and prepares for the first Christmas without Bobby.
Set during the Gulf War crisis and featuring a diverse cast of characters, Linger interweaves Gary's first-person narrative with Bobby's letters and journal entries from Saudi Arabia in a multifaceted look at bigotry, power, and the valor under fire that can drive ordinary people to commit extraordinary acts.
This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author's collection.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Laced with strong antiwar sentiments, this Peyton Place -like drama set during the Persian Gulf crisis draws parallels between small-town politics and international warfare. Center stage are two waiters who work at the fashionable Pennsylvania restaurant known as Linger: Bobby, who quits his job to join the Army but never expects to be sent overseas; and his younger brother, Gary, who is left at home to muse on Bobby's sudden, angry departure. Other players in the troupe include the boys' parents, also employed at Linger; the rich, influential proprietor, Dunlinger, who methodically destroys anyone who threatens his rise to fame and fortune; Dunlinger's spoiled daughter, Lynn; and English teacher Jules Raleigh, whose passion for Lynn and outspoken stance against American involvement in the Middle East lead to his downfall. Kerr's ( Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! ; the Fell series) deft unraveling of interrelated events is startling and enlightening: readers will be absorbed in the intricate web of corruption and cover-ups as truths about hypocrisy, greed and manipulation come to light. Complex and challenging, this book is an intriguing examination of the power of propaganda. Ages 12-up.
