Paranoid Park
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4.8 • 18 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
In the heart of a bustling city lies a mysterious skateboard park that hides a dark secret.
The inspiration for the major motion picture directed by Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, and Milk)
“Nelson breaks new ground with this psychological thriller tracing the chilling consequences of an impulsive act of violence.”—Publishers Weekly
“Nonstop page turning until the surprising conclusion.”—Booklist
“[This novel] examines the chasm separating moral responsibility from the eternal damnation of keeping a horrible secret.”—School Library Journal
It’s called Paranoid Park for a reason. It’s an outlaw skatepark where Streeters rule and Preps enter at their own risk. But when one Prep braves the scene alone, he gets mixed up in a fight that leaves someone dead. In the sleepless nights that follow, he decides to call the police. Then doesn’t. He decides to tell his dad. But can’t. Desperate and scared, he puts off making any decision at all. Maybe no one will ever find out. But when a cop appears at his school wanting to question skaters, the pressure begins to build . . . and whether he wants to or not, he’ll have to come to a decision he can live with forever.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nelson (Gender Blender) breaks new ground with this psychological thriller tracing the chilling consequences of an impulsive act of violence. The adventure-turned-nightmare begins at Paranoid Park, an "underground" skateboard park in Portland, Ore., with a "dangerous, sketchy vibe." Finding himself with nothing to do on a Saturday night, the unnamed narrator, a high-school junior, enters the park looking for excitement and ends up involved in a scuffle between Scratch, a "borderline gutter punk," and a security guard. The guard is killed. There are no witnesses except the two surviving boys, and the narrator must decide what to do after Scratch flees the scene of the accident. Written in the form of a confessional letter, the book details the narrator's moral dilemma after the incident. Tormented by nightmares, questioned by the police and toying with the notion of telling the truth to his father or the authorities, the narrator remains paralyzed, trapped by his feelings of guilt and paranoia. While effectively conveying the intensity of his protagonist's emotions, the author refrains from passing judgment. It is left up to readers to decide if the narrator is a criminal or a victim, and how he will be affected by his final decision. Ages 12-up.
