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Synopsis
It was an accident. He didn't mean to kill the security guard with his skateboard--it was self-defense. But there's no one to back up his story. No one even knows he was at Paranoid Park. Should he confess, or can he get away with it? It's an ethical question no one should have to answer.
Writing more intensely than ever before, Blake Nelson delivers a film noir in book form, complete with interior monologue and dark, psychological drama. This is a riveting look at one boy's fall into a world of crime, guilt, and fear--and his desperate attempt to get out again.
About the Author: Blake Nelson lives and works in New York City. He is the author of several young adult novels--including the ALA Best Book for Young Adults Rock Star Superstar, as well as the cult hit Girl.
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. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
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. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature -
Paranoid Park is a dangerous skating location where street people and the homeless rule; it's not a park where Preps go to hang out. One day, a 16-year-old boy from the "right side" of the tracks not only finds himself in Paranoid Park, but in the middle of a fight that leads to the death of a security guard on the railroad tracks. The boy doesn't know what to do, or how to find his way out of this nightmare, so he writes a series of letters that begin with the statement, "I don't know how to start." He hopes no one will ever find out he was involved. Yet this hope is crushed when he has to go to the principal's office to speak with a policeman. The pressure begins to build, and the young man loses confidence. Should he pretend like he had no involvement? Will someone who was there that night tell the police? Who can he trust or confide in? Blake Nelson offers a thoughtful, suspense-filled story that takes the reader through the spiraling life of an average teenager who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, making choices that will affect his life forever.VOYA -
Paranoid Park is an underground skate park in a rundown part of Portland, Oregon. There are no rules, and only the best skaters skate there. When his friend opts out of a planned trip to the park, the novel's nameless narrator goes alone. While there, he becomes involved in an incident that results in an accidental death. Afraid to go to the police, he is plunged into a world of guilt and self-recrimination. Trying to keep up the facade of a typical high school junior, he is challenged by his parents' divorce, a girlfriend wanting to lose her virginity, and a police detective who seems to know more than he says. The novel is, in essence, a psychological thriller. Nelson opens the book with a quote from Crime and Punishment, which seems to be this novel's definite spiritual predecessor. The novel's conceit is that it is a confession written as a long letter. The reader spends the entire book in the narrator's head as he struggles mainly with the guilt of the death and how this guilt changes his outlook on everything he experiences. Although it is very effective in letting the reader experience the narrator's world and building tension, some readers might find it dull or wish that the narrator would just "get over it." The novel feels quite genuine, especially the ending in which Nelson does not resolve the main plot, preferring instead to allow the narrator to come to terms with his guilt.KLIATT
Paranoid Park is a skateboard park in Portland, Oregon, a tough, rough place where hardcore skaters and street kids hang out. Our unnamed narrator, a preppy type, is introduced to the park by an older student at his high school, and one night he gets up the nerve to go there on his own. He meets some street kids and, just for a kick, hops a train with a boy named Scratch for a short ride. Then, suddenly, everything goes wrong. A security guard at the train yard swings his nightstick at Scratch, and our terrified narrator hits the guard with his skateboard. The guard falls and his clothing gets caught up in the moving train; he's dragged under the wheels and killed. What to do? Terribly upset and confused, our narrator doesn't know whether to confess or to run away. He does neither, but he soon learns the corrosive power of secrets. Sinking into depression, he breaks up with his shallow girlfriend and conceals the truth when a detective starts investigating. Only Macy, a girl who lives down the street, wins his trust; she realizes he's carrying a burden of some kind and encourages him to write down whatever happened. This novel is in the form of a letter to her. Gritty and aching, the narrative will have readers pondering what they might do under the circumstances. It's a swift read that will appeal to boys, including reluctant readers, from the author of such YA titles as Rock Star Superstar and Girl. Includes a bit of strong language and a lot of talk about getting laid. KLIATT Codes: S--Recommended for senior high school students. 2006, Penguin, Viking, 176p., $15.99.. Ages 15 to 18.—Paula Rohrlick