HOMETOWN

Border Baker is a tough street kid, hailing most recently from Albuquerque. His father was a draft dodger, cut off from his family during and beyond the Vietnam years. Now, as the US gears up for the Gulf War, his father returns to his Minnesota hometown. Border finds himself somewhat adrift in the small community, where everyone knows everything about him and resentment of his father is still strong; Border bears the brunt of that. The quirky style of this gritty, incisive novel, organized in short—sometimes quarter- page—chapters, disguises an edge as hard as Border's. Qualey (Revolutions of the Heart, 1993, etc.) has created a third-person narrative that floats back and forth in time, is matter-of-factly cynical in tone, and exudes plenty of cool. This stunning mastery of technique makes the characterization of every person in this arresting work appear effortless. (Fiction. 12+)