ISOSCELES
by Scott R. Caseley
After his friend’s apparent suicide, a college student reflects on their tumultuous years-long relationship in Caseley’s debut YA novel.
Tragedy strikes in 19-year-old Sean McIntyre’s very first apartment when he discovers his longtime friend and overnight guest, Trey Goodsby, dead in a bathtub full of blood and water. While Sean debates whether this was suicide or a freak accident, he thinks back over his life with Trey. Thirteen years earlier, Sean meets Trey (they’re both brand-new first graders) in the small Massachusetts town of Noone. Their ensuing friendship is rife with hurdles, starting with their parents as a marital affair completely shakes up each boy’s homelife. This may be what leads Trey to developing a darker side, like stealing things on a whim. But Maddie Edwards, whom both boys first encounter in their first-grade class, is the principal reason that Sean and Trey’s relationship hits some turbulence. Sean develops a crush on Maddie almost immediately, but she considers him and Trey to be strictly platonic friends. As years pass, Trey’s troubles separate him from the other two. When they’re seniors in high school, things take an unexpected turn: Maddie invites the boys to the prom with the understanding that they’ll go as a trio of friends, though it quickly becomes clear that Maddie favors Trey. This leads to some startling decisions—one between Maddie and Trey, and a later one that shines a light on Trey’s past suicidal ideation. As Sean begins college, Maddie’s and Trey’s lives spin off on their own, and Sean can’t be sure where he stands with either his friend or his childhood love.
Caseley skillfully steers this coming-of-age tale through the passing years. As the story progresses and the relationships within the trio grow more complex, the members’ changing ages and grade levels are easy to follow. Although descriptions are generally nominal, the author delivers enough details to establish moods: Prom night showcases red and white balloons, and the high school’s mascots are decked out in prom attire; Sean’s walk through a Massachusetts mall evokes the aroma of greasy foods as someone hands him teriyaki chicken on a toothpick. This story focuses on its characters, especially Sean and Trey, more than the plot. Sean is a loner who pines for one girl for years and has just one friend, but he’s also an ambitious young man who doesn’t suffer bullies for long. Trey is even more intriguing, a somber soul who’s self-destructive but not entirely uncompassionate. Both boys, as they mature, make questionable choices, like Sean’s undying devotion to Maddie, despite plentiful signs that she doesn’t feel the same way (“I’ve just never thought of you like a…,” she struggles to say. “You’re too nice”). Significant subplots involving Sean’s and Trey’s parents bolster the enthralling, ongoing melodrama. Unfortunately, there’s not much exploration of the aftermath of Trey’s death. When the flashback finally returns to present day, neither Sean’s “wretched feeling of elation” upon finding his friend’s body nor the grin that creeps onto his face get the narrative attention or elucidation readers may crave. Nevertheless, a quiet, introspective final act culminates in a solid ending.An absorbing, often insightful story of troubled youth and volatile friendships.