Wildman

April 24, 2017
Lance Hendricks plays by the rules. He’s first chair trumpet, his 4.0 GPA has won him a college scholarship to study business, and he and his longtime girlfriend are about to have sex for the first time. He’s a machine, always moving forward, until his car dies in rural Washington State, far from his Oregon home. The car was a gift from his absent father, and Lance won’t leave it, even when the repairs drag out for days. During this unscheduled break from regular life, Lance hangs with the locals at the town’s one bar, answers to the nickname Wildman, jumps trains, and spends time with lovely and unconventional Dakota. Debut novelist Geiger strands Lance a couple hours and a world away from comfort, setting up a dramatic climax in which Lance has to decide who to be—the rule-following boy he was raised as or the man who wants to play music and can’t stop trembling when he’s with Dakota. The book’s world is a bit binary—it’s either dreams or drudgery—but it effectively conveys the necessity of finding one’s true self. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties.

Starred review from April 15, 2017
A high school valedictorian takes a madcap left turn in life. Confident, white, 18-year-old Lance Hendricks' life seems set for him. The all-around good guy's got a gorgeous girlfriend of two years, early admission into Oregon State University on a scholarship, a 4.0 GPA, and he's first chair trumpet player in the high school band. On his way home to Bend, Oregon, after a trip to Seattle, his 1993 Buick breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Washington, and the next five days change his life forever. Train-hopping, improbable brawls, whiskey shots, late-night parties at dive bars, and a mysteriously beautiful and unforgettable young white woman named Dakota are all part of the mix. Geiger's first novel for teens is based in reality, but well-drawn elements of magical realism haunt its boundaries. There are genuine hairpin twists that will have readers wondering where the plot is headed and if it's real. The ethereal Dakota is reminiscent of John Green's Alaska, while the rest of the cast is crass, uncouth, dangerous at times, and winningly human. All of this is amplified by Geiger's ability to spin laugh-out-loud, insight-filled one-liners to keep the pace up while the quieter moments balance the narrative with genuine beauty. A thought-provoking, hilarious, eloquent story of a young man realizing that the world is much larger than the one set up for him. (Fiction. 14-adult)

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May 15, 2017
Grades 9-12 On the way to the most epic party of his life, Lance's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Almost immediately, his car is taken away by a mysterious tow truck, and he is forced to rent out a room at the dingy Trainsong Motel, where he figures he can ride out the night. The Trainsong and the people who live there have other plans. As one night stretches into several days, Lancevaledictorian, banker-in-training, and all-around good kid starts to wonder about the choices in his life. The book shines the brightest when it toes the line between real and surreal, highlighting the existential question that high-school graduates face: How do I live the rest of my life? Geiger's cast of misfits and his gritty settings lend a dangerous edge to every interaction Lance has on his sojourn. Ultimately, it is the surreal world that forces Lance to consider what makes a life well lived, and whether or not you are truly alive if you always stick to the plans laid out for you by others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
When high-school valedictorian Lance takes a road trip in his 1993 Buick, the car breaks down and he finds himself stuck in a seedy motel room in middle-of-nowhere Washington State. He meets Dakota--an intriguing young woman artist with a very different perspective--and begins to reevaluate his life. The sense of place is palpable and the dialogue often sparkles in Geiger's debut novel.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2017
High school valedictorians with girlfriends and college scholarships, like protagonist Lance, have it made, right? What happens, however, when we begin to doubt basic societal premises that define success? Lance takes a road trip in his classic but troublesome 1993 Buick. Of course the car breaks down on his way home, one day before his much-anticipated epic graduation party (and the long-delayed sex he expects to have with his girlfriend), and he gets stuck in a seedy room at the Trainsong Motel in middle-of-nowhere Washington State. The quirky characters in this provincial locale seem far removed from his life. Lance aches to fix his beloved Buick and get to the party. He is, however, a high school boy, and there is Dakota--an intriguing young woman artist with a very different perspective on life. Questions, questions, questions. And in these questions, Lance begins to slow down and notice that his life is just as provincial as anyone's in Trainsong. The sense of place is palpable. The dialogue often sparkles. If readers suspend disbelief and allow love to blossom in a condensed time frame, they'll be delighted with Geiger's debut novel. ed spicer

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)