DANGER PEAK

In Perone’s 1980s-set novel, a young man grieves for his brother, embarks upon a dangerous adventure, and gains maturity.  

After his brother, Danny, dies while biking the 12,000-foot Danger Peak, 13-year-old Robert Kin has one goal: to bike the peak himself. Robert, along with his friends Chris and Rinnie—motorbiking members of the Wild Boars—prepare what they call “The Action Bike” for their adventure. To do so, they must obtain tools and tires from Robert’s critical, authoritarian father as well as two items that their eccentric science teacher, Dr. Forrest Howard, invented. Specifically, they need Danny’s turbocharger and the mad doctor’s new laser, designed to shatter rocks. However, they learn that the challenge not only involves the bike’s mechanics and finding technology to beat nature; it’s about developing relationships and making important life choices. In the prologue, Perone immediately engages the reader with Robert’s first ride through his neighborhood as well as with references to 1980s music, television, history, and culture. It’s clear from the start how the young protagonist sees the world after Danny’s death, and readers can taste the freedom of adolescence as the Wild Boars emulate chase scenes from CHiPs and plan like the title character of MacGyver to get what they want. That said, there are moments when the connection between Robert and his father lacks believability, and some of the scenes seem to escalate too quickly. Also, the author’s use of flashbacks sometimes has the effect of taking the reader out of the adventure; this is also true when the third-person point of view switches to Robert’s father’s perspective instead of Robert’s. Overall, though, Perone’s debut novel is reminiscent of Chris Crutcher’s Ironman (1995), presenting an engaging, throwback coming-of-age tale.

A compelling bildungsroman about grief and finding wisdom.