An estranged family's tragic story is incrementally revealed in this deeply surreal novel.Alternating narration among five teens, many of them unnamed but for monikers like The Freak, The Shoveler, and CanIHelpYou?, as well as an older married couple, Gottfried and Marla, and the younger of two violent and troubling brothers, an expansive net is cast. An unwieldy list of the cast featured in each part melds well with the frenetic style of this experimental work but does little to actually clarify how they fit together; the first half, at least, is markedly confusing. However, readers able to relax into the chaos will be richly rewarded as the strands eventually weave together. The bitingly sardonic voice of The Freak, who seems to be able to move through space and time, contrasts well with the understated, almost deadpan observations of The Shoveler, and the quiet decency of Malcolm and the angry snark of CanIHelpYou?, who is falling for her biracial (half white, half black) best friend, are distinctly different from Loretta's odd and sexually frank musings. Family abuse and neglect and disordered substance use are part of the lives of many of the characters here, but it's made clear that, at the root, this white family has been poisoned by virulent racism.Heavily meditative, this strange and heart-wrenching tale is stunningly original. (Fiction. 14-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The family tree under examination in the latest novel by King (Still Life with Tornado) is diseased-distorted by racial hatred, drug abuse, poverty, illness, and domestic violence. The patriarch of Pennsylvania's Hemmings family, Gottfried, earned millions selling the family potato farm to housing developers, alienating his siblings. Marla, his meanspirited wife, enjoys the spoils while looking down at everyone else, including her offspring and grandchildren. "Marla has no idea she's white," observes Malcolm, a grandson, "and the whole world was made for people like her." The firstperson narrative shifts perspectives frequently to introduce four other teens, living in the same small town but largely unknown to each other, and their parents, many of whom are, by turns, judgmental, abusive, or neglectful. Like King's other novels, this one has a hallucinatory quality that keeps the reader guessing what's real and what's not. The payoff is in the profound ending, which pulls together the disparate threads and offers hope that at least some of these characters will dig themselves out from under the legacy of hate they have unwillingly inherited. Ages 14-up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich and Bourret. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

*Starred Review* With a style and structure similar to I Crawl through It (2015), King's surreal new novel tunnels through the consciousness of five unknowingly connected teens as they grapple with their identities within the context of their families and society. Trauma or abuse touches most of their lives, and they each find security in a self-defined role. The Shoveler's snow shovel may give him a reputation for being strange, but it also keeps him safe from school bullies. The Freak flickers from location to location, always in control of her ability to exit a situation. Malcolm's frequent first-class flights to Jamaica give a charmed veneer to a life otherwise dictated by his father's cancer. Loretta is ringmistress of a flea circus and knows her part by heart, even when her father goes dangerously off script. CanIHelpYou? works the Arby's drive-through, discreetly serving drugs to those who know the magic words. These characters brush against one another's lives, eventually coming together at an eye--opening Easter dinner. King injects the narrative with the topics of racism, white power and privilege, and class with increasing intensity as the teens' stories unfold and entwine. This visceral examination of humanity's flaws and complexity, especially where the adult characters are concerned, nevertheless cultivates hope in a younger generation that's wiser and stronger than its predecessors.--Julia Smith Copyright 2018 Booklist

Gr 9 Up--King is back with another unconventional novel threaded with magical realism. The story focuses on the narratives of five isolated teenagers; it is not until the end that listeners find out how they are related. The "Shoveler" has moved with his mom countless times; friendless in a new place once again, he takes a job painting a house for an older couple. "CanIhelpyou?" works at Arby's, dealing drugs on the side, and trying to cope with her racist mother. The "Ringmistress" lives with an abusive father and ineffectual mother and tends her flea circus on the side. Malcolm spends every other weekend flying first class to Jamaica with his dying father. The "Freak" flickers from place to place, seeing everything and helping out when she can. Connecting them all are Gottfried and Marla Hemmings, millionaires many times over, but unwilling to help their family in need. Offbeat and thought-provoking, the story line weaves themes of racism and family dysfunction throughout. Four narrators tell the story, adding layers to an already complex plot. Mike Chamberlain reads the part of the "Shoveler" in an understated way, as he struggles to find his way in yet another new home and school. Tonya Cornelisse shines as "CanIhelpyou?" and gives the character personality, relatability, and likability. Kirby Heyborne performs as Malcolm, whose sadness about his dying father and confusion about his life to come are brought beautifully across to the listener. The odd but weirdly happy "Ringmistress" and the confusing and strident at times "Freak" are read by the author. The narration picks up as the pace intensifies and family secrets are uncovered. VERDICT Give this to your King fans and your patient listeners, who will become immersed in the story as it unfolds.--Julie Paladino, formerly with East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, NC

This is a gripping audio version of a YA novel with so many characters that each chapter begins with a cast list. Three of the characters get their own readers, including the outstanding Cornelisse as the very cynical CanIHelpYou?; author King does a passionate and compelling job with all the others. King's story of a family poisoned from its beginnings (or roots, as a potato metaphor reinforces) by racism and selfishness is rich and complex; funny at times, heartbreaking at others. The structure weaves the characters in and out until by the end the listener has figured out most of the many connections among them. This is no sunny depiction of teen life, but rather one including drug abuse and grim sexual violence. The author's note is included, asking teens, "How do you put up with this crap?" Susan Dove Lempke November/December 2019 p.125(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.