First published 2008
Ares Ramirez watches military aircraft thunder overhead in his forgotten desert town in 1978. The twelve-year-old lives in a trailer with his mother and younger brother Malcolm, who has mental disabilities. When a corpse washes up from the ocean, Ares begins acting out violent fantasies inspired by the constant military presence around him. His mother refuses to seek help for Malcolm, fearing authorities and leaving Ares to shield his brother from a cruel world that sees Malcolm as defective. Ares dreams of escape from his cramped home and limited future. He forms a friendship with an older, dangerous boy who draws him deeper into real violence. The games Ares once played alone transform into something deadly. His family's private struggles collide with the external threats surrounding them, forcing Ares to confront how far he will go to protect the people he loves while trying to forge his own identity.
Genres: coming-of-age, contemporary, action, family-drama
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: family-secrets, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Desert Town, Ocean
Period: 1978
Audio Cassette · Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Content warnings: mental-illness, violence