Watcher

"I knew one thing — I wasn't going to be rotting in that place for the rest of my life. I was getting out of there. That place turned people into the living dead. In that neighbourhood, it was hard to hear anything that didn't carry the sound of defeat."

Sixteen-year-old Porter Delaney has his future figured out, but his nice, neat plans are shaken when a man he believes may be his father suddenly appears in his Toronto neighbourhood. Porter knows that he wants nothing to do with the deadbeat dad who abandoned him and his sister twelve years earlier, but curiosity causes him to re-examine the past.

Unfortunately, actual memories are scarce and confusing, and much of what he knows is based on things his mother told him. As Porter looks for answers, it begins to seem that all he's ever going to find are more questions.

"I knew one thing — I wasn't going to be rotting in that place for the rest of my life. I was getting out of there. That place turned people into the living dead. In that neighbourhood, it was hard to hear anything that didn't carry the sound of defeat."

Sixteen-year-old Porter Delaney has his future figured out, but his nice, neat plans are shaken when a man he believes may be his father suddenly appears in his Toronto neighbourhood. Porter knows that he wants nothing to do with the deadbeat dad who abandoned him and his sister twelve years earlier, but curiosity causes him to re-examine the past.

Unfortunately, actual memories are scarce and confusing, and much of what he knows is based on things his mother told him. As Porter looks for answers, it begins to seem that all he's ever going to find are more questions.

VOYA

After a year of supervised probation, sixteen-year-old Porter Delancy is taking back his life. Supported by his best friend and girlfriend, he might even be able to ignore his mother's wild mood swings and his sister's emotional crises. As a result, the appearance in his Toronto neighborhood of a strange man he dubs "the Watcher" is especially disturbing. Could this man, who seems to be spying on Porter, be the deadbeat dad who abandoned his family twelve years ago? As Porter searches his own memories and those of his sister, he realizes much of what they both remember is based upon stories from their mother—a horrifying saga of emotional and physical abuse and neglect. Confronting the stranger seems the only way for Porter to learn the truth about his past and his father. This slight novel has the tone of a case study in parental alienation—the destruction by one parent of a child's relationship with the other parent. The plot seems especially contrived and unrealistic. When Porter learns the identity of the Watcher, the knowledge leads to his immediate understanding of the parental alienation syndrome, reconciliation with his father, and unconditional acceptance by his dad's new family. Among the characters, only Porter's probation officer, a bluntly honest pragmatist, remains in the reader's mind after the book is done. With its uninspiring cover art, didactic tone, and unmemorable characters, this novel will be a marginal purchase for most libraries. Reviewer: Jamie S. Hansen

Valerie Sherrard is the author of eleven previous novels for young adults, including the Shelby Belgarden Mysteries, Kate, Sarah's Legacy, Speechless. and her first historical novel, Three Million Acres of Flame. her work has been shortlisted for numerous Canadian awards, including the Red Maple, White Pine, and Arthur Ellis Awards. Valerie lives in Mirimichi, New Brunswick, with her husband, Brent, who is also an author.