Binding: Hardcover EAN: 9780679878032 ISBN: 0679878033 Label: Alfred a Knopf Manufacturer: Alfred a Knopf Number Of Pages: 133 Publication Date: 1996-06 Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Reading Level: Young Adult Studio: Alfred a Knopf
Rating: - Neat coming-of-age story
"Wrestling Sturbridge" is an abbreviated "Catcher in the Rye"-style novel charting the teenage angst of a US high-school wrestler as he considers whether or not to leave his small-town existence behind.
There is humour and some neat inversion of stereotypes as coaches prove far from respectable and fathers indulge in male bonding with their sons over a spot of burglary. I particularly liked the far-from-lovable granny as she picks at a newly-roast chicken to the revulsion of her offspring.
Less pleasing is the almost complete eradication of female characters who aren't love interests for the hero. Mothers figure large in most young people's lives - the most mention Ben's mom gets is that she "hasn't returned from work ... Read More: