Book Review: Hothouse by Chris Lynch


Russel had a great relationship with his dad. His dad worked odd hours, but Russel had a sixth sense for when he was coming home. They would make breakfast together, take walks, fish and do all the things normal fathers and sons should do together. Russel's father was a fireman. It was such a part of who he was that he didn't have friends, he had the other firefighters. He didn't have acquaintances, he had admirers. Russel knows one thing, that he needs to be a fireman, it's in his blood.

Russel's father has passed away, heroically fighting a fire. Also taken in the fire was his friend DJ's father. DJ and Russel used to be best friends, their dads were best friends, their moms were best friends. It just got to be too much, and for a while they weren't friends anymore. Now, they are forced back together, out at public rallies to support their fathers. All over town they are celebrities.

Things aren't easy for Russel and his mother, however the praise from people and the "t'dos" are better than what comes next: a sudden fall from grace after the investigation from the fire is released.

Realistic fiction gets real here, something author Chris Lynch never shies away from, and Russel has to think about his father as both a real person and a town hero. The story is told in the present tense, however Russel flashes-back to incidents with his father. Russel is lucky to have some really good friends, and a purpose in life, even if it is the same life that prematurely took his father from him.

Fans of books by Chris Crutcher and Paul Volponi will enjoy this book for it's gritty realism and the way it faces real life questions.

I'll see you @ the library!
Katie (Waiting till tomorrow to see Harry Potter 7 part I, don't forget there's still time to enter the Harry Potter Trivia Contest!)